Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP)

Washington

Bloomberg: Deficits in States Have Alabama’s Governor Risking Career

March 2, 2015

Alabama’s state and local government taxes per resident are the lowest in the U.S., according to the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama. It also has the 12th-worst tax structure in terms of disproportionate impact on the poor, according to Meg Wiehe, state policy director for the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy in Washington. […]

Marketwatch: 10 States with The Worst Taxes for Average Americans

March 2, 2015

According to “Who Pays? A Distributional Analysis of the Tax Systems in All 50 States,” a report released by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP), Washington has by far the most regressive tax system nationwide. To identify the 10 states with the worst tax systems for average Americans, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed ITEP’s […]

Gainesville Times: Study Says Poor Bear the Brunt of Sales Tax Hikes

February 23, 2015

Georgia’s poorest residents will pay a larger share of their income this year in state and local taxes than the wealthiest earners, according to a new study from the Institute on Taxation & Economic Policy, a nonprofit Washington think tank. That burden could grow as Republican lawmakers in the state legislature push for lower income […]

Dallas Business Journal: Texas Great for Businesses But Terrible for Most People

February 23, 2015

While many Lone Star State business organizations tout Texas’ tax climate when pitching corporate relocations, those same tax policies are among the worst in the nation when boiled down to the family level, according to a new report from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. Texas has the third-most regressive tax structure in the […]

Tribune News Service: Some Governors Seek to Cut Taxes as Potholes Deepend

February 20, 2015

Current state income tax rates are bad for the poor and comparably good for the rich, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. While the rich pay more in dollars than the poor, the rate on the top one percent of the richest Americans is 5.4 percent while the rate on the 20 […]

Culture Map Houston: Texas Tax Myths Shattered

February 20, 2015

If you’re living in Texas and don’t fall within the wealthiest one percent of residents, chances are you’re paying some of the highest tax rates in the nation. According to “Who Pays? A Distributional Analysis of the Tax Systems in All 50 States,” a report recently released by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy […]

USA Today: States with the Worst Taxes on Average Earners

February 18, 2015

When looking at taxes paid as a share of the income earned, all states have a regressive tax system, which means poorer residents are taxed more than the wealthiest ones. The difference in effective tax rates between income groups, however, varies widely between states. According to “Who Pays? A Distributional Analysis of the Tax Systems […]

The Toledo Blade: Governor’s Reform Plan Draws Fire from the Left, Right

February 18, 2015

An evaluation of the proposal by the Washington-based Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, requested by Policy Matters, suggests the top 1 percent of Ohio earners, those making $388,000 or more, will see an average tax cut of $11,906. Those earning less than $58,000 a year would see a net hike of $116 on average, […]

The Inlander: Taxes-Idaho v. Washington

February 12, 2015

But don’t look so smug, Washington progressives: Washington may take in more tax revenue to fund more programs than Idaho, but its tax system hits the poor far harder. The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy concluded that Washington had the most unfair tax system in the nation, with the the bottom 20 percent of […]

NPR All Things Considered: Failing Bridges Take a Toll

February 11, 2015

“Asphalt costs are higher, machinery costs are higher. Construction workers’ wages are usually higher,” says Carl Davis of the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy in Washington. “So the revenues that we’re chipping in aren’t keeping pace with the costs that we have.” Davis says the federal government can borrow money to fund transportation projects. […]

Washington Post: Can These Red States Raise the Gas Tax?

February 11, 2015

Some states can’t wait around to see what the federal government will do. In order to fix their roads, many are seriously considering raising a tax that in some states hasn’t been touched in over two decades. Which states are those? On Tuesday, the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a liberal think tank, updated […]

Reuters: U.S. Companies May Not Be Fleeing Due to High Tax Rate

February 10, 2015

In a project for Reuters, the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP), a tax policy think tank in Washington, looked at the six companies’ data somewhat differently, stripping out certain accounting adjustments, and found an average effective tax rate of 22.2 percent over the period. Read more

24/7 Wall Street: 10 States with the Worst Tax Averages for Americans

February 5, 2015

When looking at taxes paid as a share of the income earned, all states have a regressive tax system, which means poorer residents are taxed more than the wealthiest ones. The difference in effective tax rates between income groups, however, varies widely between states. According to “Who Pays? A Distributional Analysis of the Tax Systems […]

Washington Post: It’s Time to Stop Letting Sports Team Owners Blackmail Taxpayers for New Stadiums

February 5, 2015

“It’s a silly tax break,” said Matt Gardner, director of the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. “It’s ludicrous that the federal government would be subsidizing state and local borrowing to give investors tax breaks to make it easier for them to build sports stadiums.” Read more

The Spokesman Review: Economy Finally Recovering–for the 1 %

February 4, 2015

Washington’s tax fairness problem is old news – every year, new analyses emerge that rank Washington near the bottom on measures of fairness. That’s based on the state’s reliance on the sales tax, which hits the poor the hardest. A report issued this month by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy ranked Washington at […]

Palm Beach New Times: Florida Has the 2nd Least Fair Tax System in the Nation

February 4, 2015

A big selling point to convincing people to move to the Sunshine State has always been that Florida has no state income tax. And that’s true. But the reality is that Florida ranks at the very bottom when it comes to the fairest taxes in the U.S. This means that the poorest of those living […]

The Bellingham Herald: When It Comes to Unfair Tax Systems, We’re No. 1

February 4, 2015

The unfair nature of our tax system made national news earlier this month when the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) released its state-by-state profile in which it compares features of state tax systems. Its analysis shows that while taxes in just about every state are skewed – on average the bottom 20 percent […]

Washington State Budget & Policy Center: Taxing Capital Gains

February 2, 2015

FAQ on Enacting a Capital Gains Tax In Washington State Read the full report

The Western Front: Keeping Tuition Prices on Ice

January 30, 2015

What it really comes down to is money and where that money comes from. Why doesn’t the legislature start by looking at how we collect taxes in Washington? According to a new report from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, our state has the most regressive tax system in the nation. We’re one of […]

Seattle Times: Gov. Inslee’s Cap Gains Idea is DOA

January 30, 2015

The claim that Washington has the nation’s most unfair tax system comes from the liberal Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, which favors progressive tax policies. We may quibble about the rankings — these things aren’t easy to measure — but the institute is right: Washington’s tax burden falls more heavily on lower-income taxpayers. It’s […]

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Who Pays? (Fourth Edition)

January 30, 2015 • By Carl Davis, Matthew Gardner, Meg Wiehe

Major tax overhauls are on the agenda in a record number of states, and “Who Pays?” documents in state-by-state detail the precise distribution of state income taxes, sales and excise taxes and property taxes paid by each income group as of January 2013.  It is a critical baseline against which future proposals can be measured. […]

The Atlantic: Robin Hood in Reverse

January 28, 2015

But according to a new report from The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, the impact of those federal tax breaks is largely offset by the burden of state and local taxes. Here’s how state and local taxes break down as a percentage of income: The richest Americans pay the least. The tax mix changes […]

C-SPAN Washington Journal: President Obama’s Tax Policies

January 26, 2015

ITEP Executive Director Matt Gardner appeared on C-SPAN’s Washington Journal on Jan. 24 to discuss President Obama’s tax proposal. Check out the video.

Columbia Basin Herald: District 13 Legislators Oppose Inslee’s Tax Proposal

January 24, 2015

According to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, Washington state has the most regressive tax structure in the nation. Inslee said the capital gains tax would help make the tax structure more progressive. Read more

Washington State Budget & Policy Center: Washington State’s Upside Down Tax System Takes A Heavy Toll On Communities Of Color

January 21, 2015

While most Washingtonians agree that everyone has a responsibility to help pay for schools, safe communities, health care, and other broadly shared investments that create jobs and grow the economy, the state continues to have the most upside down state and local tax system of any U.S. state, according to a new report, “Who Pays?”, […]