Utah
Mint Press News: Low Oil Prices Prompt New Interest In Raising Gas Tax, Cutting Subsidies
January 15, 2015
“Utah has gone almost 18 years without an increase in its gas tax, so instead they’ve increasingly spent money from their General Fund on transportation – spending less on education and human services,” Carl Davis, a senior analyst at the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP), told MintPress News. Yet Davis notes that thinking […]
NPR: Gas Tax Hike to Fuel Fixes to Roads and Bridges
December 9, 2014
“There’s kind of been a switch that’s been flipped,” says Carl Davis, a senior analyst with the nonprofit Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy Davis says gas tax increases are now on the table in states across the country, from New Jersey to Utah to South Carolina to South Dakota. Democratic governors in Delaware, Vermont […]
State Tax Codes As Poverty Fighting Tools
• By Meg Wiehe
Read the Report in PDF Form The Census Bureau released data in September showing that the share of Americans living in poverty remains high. In 2013, the national poverty rate was 14.5 percent, a slight drop from last years’ rate of 15 percent and the first decline since 2006.1 However, the poverty rate remains 2.0 […]
Pay-Per-Mile Tax is Only a Partial Fix
• By Carl Davis
The gasoline tax is the single largest source of funding for transportation infrastructure in the United States, but the tax is on an unsustainable course. Sluggish gas tax revenue growth has put strain on transportation budgets at the federal and state levels, and has led to countless debates around the country about how best to pay for America's infrastructure.
Transportation Topics: Gas Tax Buying Power at All-Time Low in Some States
May 19, 2014
By Michael Fuetsch, May 19, 2014 The gasoline tax is so low and has not been raised for so long in 10 states, that the levy’s purchasing power has fallen to historic lows, a new study said. States where this has occurred are Alabama, Alaska, Delaware, Idaho, Iowa, Nebraska, New Jersey, South Carolina, Utah, and […]
Gas Tax Hits Rock Bottom in Ten States
• By Carl Davis
In most states, the gasoline tax is set at a fixed number of cents per gallon of gas. South Carolina drivers, for example, have been paying 16 cents per gallon in state tax for more than a quarter century.1 But while this type of fixed-rate gas tax may appear to be flat over time, its lack of change in the face of inflation means that its "real" value, or purchasing power, is steadily declining. In…
USA Today: Needing money for roads, states mull gas tax hikes
March 11, 2014
(Original Post) Larry Copeland, USA TODAY 10:13 a.m. EDT March 11, 2014 The federal gas tax hasn’t been raised in more than two decades The federal gas tax, long used to help states pay for roads and bridges, hasn’t been raised since Bill Clinton was president. The prices of asphalt, steel and heavy machinery — […]
The Garden Island: Licensed to drive
February 3, 2014
(Original Post) Bill would allow undocumented residents to acquire driver’s license Posted: Monday, February 3, 2014 2:00 am Tom LaVenture – The Garden Island LIHUE — Proposed legislation would amend state requirements to allow undocumented residents to qualify for a driver’s license in the interest of public safety, identification and insurance coverage. The “Safe and […]
Chicago Tribune: Boeing makes sky-high request for states wanting 777X plant
December 19, 2013
When it comes to corporate incentives, leave it to an aerospace company to test the limits of what will fly. For those hoping to host production of its newest big jet, Chicago-based Boeing has a wish list that even Santa, his reindeer and all his little helpers would be hard-pressed to lift, let alone […]
USA Today: Why Christie should endorse tuition equity
December 2, 2013
(Original Post) Raul Reyes, USATODAY 7:12 p.m. EST November 26, 2013 If he signs bill, undocumented high school grads would be able to pay in-state tuition. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is a lawmaker who plays by his own rules. The iconoclastic Republican was not afraid to buck his party by standing with Democratic President […]
USA Today: The most tax-friendly states for business
October 15, 2013
(Original Post) Charley Blaine, 24/7 Wall St. 11 a.m. EDT October 12, 2013 Taxes are necessary for a functioning government, but according to one group, many states are crippling regional business growth with tax structures that are too expensive or complex. The Tax Foundation’s 2014 State Business Tax Climate Index graded all 50 states based […]
State Tax Codes As Poverty Fighting Tools
• By Meg Wiehe
New Census Bureau data released this month show that the share of Americans living in poverty remains high, despite other signs of economic recovery. The national 2012 poverty rate of 15 percent is essentially unchanged since 2010 , but still 2.5 percentage points higher than pre-recession levels. This means that in 2012, 46.5 million, or about 1 in 6 Americans, lived in poverty.1 The poverty rate in most states also held steady with five states…
Gulf Coast News Today: We are conservative, Republican, religious
July 8, 2013
Steve Flowers Inside the Statehouse A recent survey rated Alabama as the most conservative state in the Union. More than half of our residents describe themselves as politically conservative. The poll was done by the vaunted Princeton, New Jersey Gallup polling firm. Four of our sister states, Mississippi, South Carolina, Louisiana and Arkansas, also […]
USA Today: Wyo. named most tax-friendly state; N.Y. worst
April 1, 2013
(Original Post) 24/7 Wall Street6a.m. EDT March 30, 2013 According to Census data released this week, state and local tax revenue rose in the U.S, for the 13th quarter in a row. With April 15 less than three weeks away, America’s business owners will complete their personal taxes along with the rest of the country. […]
Utah Foundation: Fueling Our Future, 2013-2040
• By ITEP Staff
Policy Options to Address Utah’s Future Transportation Needs Funding Utah’s transportation needs is a significant economic and fiscal challenge for state policymakers. Over the next three decades, Utah’s population is set to increase by over 60% from 2.8 million to 4.5 million.1 Coupled with this signifi cant growth is the possibility of an increase in […]
Steamboat Pilot and Today: Steamboat joins growing group of cities looking to grow their stake in the outdoor manufacturing industry
March 11, 2013
(Original Post) By Scott Franz Sunday, March 10, 2013 There’s nothing modest about Outdoor Retailer’s winter trade show in Salt Lake City. #For four days in January, the downtown Salt Palace Convention Center becomes a dizzying labyrinth of booths manned by the world’s most famous outdoor manufacturers. #It’s a place where a large SmartWool banner […]
Voices for Utah Children: Analysis of a Three-Part Proposal to Reform Utah’s Sales Tax
• By ITEP Staff
A proposal that will be discussed during the 2013 General Session would return Utah’s state sales tax on groceries to the general sales tax rate, while offering two kinds of tax credits to mitigate the negative impacts on vulnerable households. A detailed economic analysis from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP), a non-partisan […]
Deseret News: Current cuts won’t get Utah through 2011
January 8, 2013
(PDF of Original Post) Down-to-the-bone look at taxes called a necessityBy James Thalman Deseret NewsPublished: Friday, Nov. 27, 2009 4:39 p.m. MST Cutbacks in agency budgets have so far helped Utah handle a tax-revenue pinch, but they won’t do much to get through the blockage awaiting in 2011, local and national budget-policy analysts say. A […]
Salt Lake City Weekly: 9 Reasons the Rich Get Richer
January 8, 2013
(PDF of Original Post) A tax expert’s story on tax myths may not be sexy, but it could arouse you—and not in a good way. By David Cay Johnston Posted // April 13,2011 – For three decades, we have conducted a massive economic experiment, testing a theory known as supply-side economics. The theory goes like […]
Christian Science Monitor: Jon Huntsman vs. Rick Perry: Shoot-out at the GOP corral
December 21, 2012
Original Post August 21, 2011 by Brad Knickerbocker Jon Huntsman and Rick Perry represent very different views of how a Republican can beat Barack Obama in 2012. To jazz up his campaign, Huntsman laid into tea party favorite Perry Sunday. In the end, whoever wins the GOP presidential nominating contest will have to take on […]
Bloomberg/BNA: Tax Reform Likely in 15 State Legislatures in 2013, Think Tank Says
December 20, 2012
December 20,2102 The major shifts in partisan control due to the November elections, which resulted in 37 states having unified one-party control over the Legislature and governorship, are likely to bring state tax reform to the forefront in 2013, Matthew Gardner, executive director of the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP), said Dec. 19. […]
The Salt Lake Tribune: Some say corporate tax-dodging hurts public schools
December 19, 2012
(Original Post) By Cathy Mckitrick The Salt Lake Tribune A new study takes aim at tax-dodging corporations, revealing that between 2008 and 2010, 68 Fortune 500 companies managed to avoid paying any state income tax for one or more of those three years. The nonprofit Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) was joined by […]
Salt Lake Tribune: Corporate tax-dodging hurts state tax revenue
December 19, 2012
(Original Post) By Cathy Mckitrick The Salt Lake TribuneFirst published Dec 08 2011 07:33AMUpdated Dec 9, 2011 11:33PM A new study takes aim at tax-dodging corporations, some with operations in Utah, revealing that from 2008 to 2010, 68 Fortune 500 companies managed to avoid paying any state income tax for one or more of those […]
Casper Star-Tribune: Wyoming ranks high again for economic growth
December 17, 2012
(Original Post) By JOAN BARRON Star-Tribune capital bureau | Posted: Sunday, April 29, 2012 10:00 am CHEYENNE — Wyoming again ranks fourth among states for best economic growth and outlook, largely because of the state’s low total tax burden, according to a nonprofit group’s report. The American Legislative Exchange Council ranked Wyoming fourth for the […]
Uncertain Benefits, Hidden Costs: The Perils of State-Sponsored Gambling
• By Meg Wiehe
The recent fiscal downturn forced cash-strapped, tax-averse state lawmakers to seek unconventional revenue-raising alternatives, for additional revenue-raising opportunities outside of the income, sales and property taxes that form the backbone of most state tax systems. One of the most popular alternatives to those major revenue sources is state sponsored gambling. As this policy brief points out, however, gambling revenues are rarely as lucrative, or as long-lasting, as supporters claim.
