Washington
Governing: Corporate Tax Attacks in the States
April 25, 2014
Lawmakers on Capitol Hill have been complaining for years about corporate tax havens. The Congressional Research Services reports that offshore tax shelters cost the federal government between $30 billion and $90 billion a year.
Seattle Times: Under the microscope
April 18, 2014
By Mike Lindblom While most big transit agencies in the U.S. slashed service during the recession, King County Metro Transit managed to hang on. Managers shifted a $100 million surplus from a fleet-replacement fund to keep existing buses rolling. And the agency made painful choices — raising fares, while cutting some low-use routes to cram […]
Associated Press: Missouri lawmakers pass tax cut; veto possible
April 17, 2014
(Original Post) Thursday, April 17, 2014 By DAVID A. LIEB ~ The Associated Press JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Setting up a likely veto showdown, the Republican-led Missouri Legislature gave final approval Wednesday to an income-tax cut for millions of individuals and thousands of business owners that Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon warned could imperil funding for […]
The Seattle Times: Under the microscope – Metro’s big transit vote
April 16, 2014
In the April 22 mail ballot, King County voters are being asked to increase their sales taxes and their car tabs to fund Metro Transit and fix roads. As the campaign enters its last week, here’s an assessment of some arguments being made on both sides. By Mike Lindblom Seattle Times transportation reporter While most […]
Wall Street Journal: States Raise Gas Taxes to Pay for Infrastructure
April 7, 2014
(Original Post) As Congress Only Takes Short-Term Steps, Governors Seek More Funds for Roads By JOSH MITCHELL Updated April 4, 2014 7:32 p.m. ET GEORGETOWN, Del.—States and cities desperate to build and repair roads and other infrastructure—but frustrated by inertia in Congress—are raising their own levies and turning to private companies for funding. Six states […]
The Washington Post: New report slams Kansas tax cuts
March 28, 2014
(Original Post) BY NIRAJ CHOKSHI March 27 at 3:22 pm In 2012, Kansas enacted one of the largest tax cuts of any state ever, and the short-term results aren’t promising, a new report finds. “Kansas is a cautionary tale, not a model,” Center on Budget and Policy Priorities researchers Michael Leachman and Chris Mai write […]
Rocky Mountain Telegram: Tax loopholes favor giant corporations
March 27, 2014
(Original Post) Tuesday, March 25, 2014 Gov. Pat McCrory and the Republican-led N.C. General Assembly in 2013 made good on their promises to cut corporate income taxes in order for North Carolina to better compete to land new businesses and industries – and the jobs that come with them. North Carolina’s tax rate on corporations […]
Reuters: Some big U.S. companies dodge state income taxes
March 21, 2014
(Original Post) WASHINGTON Thu Mar 20, 2014 6:14pm EDT (Reuters) – Some profitable U.S. corporations that avoid paying federal income taxes manage to do the same in states where they operate, said a study issued on Thursday by a tax activist group. From 2008 through 2012, ten U.S. companies paid no state income taxes, said […]
Burnt Orange Report: The Texas Miracle – The Devil in the Details
March 18, 2014
(Original Post) by: Joe Deshotel Fri Mar 14, 2014 at 02:00 PM CDT As the American economy begins to gain traction and the national dialogue addresses the subject of income equality it is a good time to reflect on merits of “The Texas Miracle.” The narrative is simple — Low taxes, low services, and low […]
Salon: The “Texas Miracle” fraud
March 10, 2014
(Original Post) FRIDAY, MAR 7, 2014 01:56 PM EST Yes, Texas has seen a lot of growth — but should conservatives really be bragging about it? ALEX PAREENE Remember “The Texas Miracle”? It was the story of how Rick Perry was going to be president because his state, Texas, was doing so much better than […]
The Huffington Post: Why Rick Perry Is So Wrong About California And New York
March 10, 2014
(Original Post) Posted: 03/08/2014 10:20 am EST Updated: 03/08/2014 10:59 am EST Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) was the standout star at the Conservative Political Action Conference this year, in no small part because of his impassioned plea for Americans to recognize that the fate of the U.S. comes down to a battle of visions […]
The Buffalo News: Democrats ought to embrace budget
March 10, 2014
(Original Post) By Douglas Turner | News Washington Columnist on March 10, 2014 – 6:17 AM WASHINGTON – Sophisticates speaking for the real power here have already blown off President Obama’s 2015 budget. The group includes almost the entire Congress and sadly, the corps of journalists, some who are world weary, but include all who […]
CNBC: Raise the gas tax?
March 7, 2014
(Original Post) Transcript: state governments can raise their gas taxes anytime they want to fund their own highways. there’s nothing stopping them. we also need to look at privatization. so in northern virginia where i live, they just widened the capital beltway, a $2 billion project. it’s been a huge success. the money […]
Washington Monthly: The Texas Miracle that Isn’t
March 6, 2014
(Original Post) “Oh yes, I know what you’ve heard. And it’s true, as the state’s boosters like to brag, that Texas does not have an income tax. But Texas has sales and property taxes that make its overall burden of taxation on low-wage families much heavier than the national average, while the state also taxes […]
Washington State Budget & Policy Center: Corporate Tax Dodge Findings Show Need for Reforms in Washington State
February 27, 2014
Now that we know nine major corporations with operations in Washington state paid zero or less in federal corporate income taxes in recent years despite reaping huge profits, serious questions arise as to whether these corporations or others are dodging Washington state taxes too. Read the Full Report
The Hill: Corporations pay fraction of top tax rate
February 26, 2014
(Original Post) February 26, 2014, 09:54 am By Bernie Becker Many leading U.S. corporations paid just a fraction of the top 35 percent tax rate, with some even paying less than zero, according to a new study from liberal advocates. Citizens for Tax Justice and the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy found in a […]
Washington Post: A (very) brief history of the state gas tax on its 95th birthday
February 25, 2014
(Original Post) BY NIRAJ CHOKSHI February 25 at 2:41 pm Nearly a century ago today, Oregon implemented a novel policy idea that’s since become a national mainstay: It became the first state to implement a gas tax. But with the tax on its last legs, it may also be the state that figures out how […]
The Huffington Post: Boeing Paid No Federal Income Tax Last Year
February 24, 2014
(Original Post) The Huffington Post | by Jillian Berman Posted: 02/20/2014 5:01 pm EST Updated: 02/20/2014 5:59 pm EST One of the largest recipients of federal government contracts paid nothing in taxes last year, according to an analysis from the Center for Effective Government, a left-leaning think tank. Boeing reported an $82 million tax refund […]
Toledo Blade: Whose tax cut?
February 20, 2014
(Original Post) The latest scheme to cut state income tax rates would favor the rich, increase inequality, and harm basic services Gov. John Kasich and many members of the Republican-controlled General Assembly will campaign for re-election this year largely on their efforts to cut Ohio’s personal income tax yet again. Voters — at least middle-class […]
The Huffington Post: Raising Taxes On The Rich Would Reduce Income Inequality: Larry Summers
February 18, 2014
(Original Post) The Huffington Post | by Jillian Berman Posted: 02/17/2014 3:07 pm EST Updated: 02/17/2014 3:59 pm EST Raising taxes on the rich would “play a major role” in reducing income inequality, according to Larry Summers. Capping the earnings of the likes of Mark Zuckerberg or Bill Gates would do little to actually boost […]
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 […]
The Fiscal Times: The 10 Best States for Taxes in 2014
January 27, 2014
(Original Post) BETH BRAVERMAN The Fiscal Times January 24, 2014 Anyone who has a head start on tax planning this year knows that many Americans – particularly high earners – are paying a lot more in taxes this year. But while there’s no dodging federal taxes, the pinch of additional levies varies greatly depending on […]
Los Angeles Times: Corporations lead taxpayers to the shearing
January 6, 2014
(Original Post) By Michael Hiltzik January 5, 2014, 5:00 a.m. Here’s a business practice likely to keep booming in 2014: corporate extortion. We don’t mean extortion of corporations, as is practiced by Somali pirates or entrepreneurial Russians. We mean extortion by corporations. In this field the victims are taxpayers, and what makes it a beautiful […]
The Cap Times: What do states with no income tax do for revenue?
December 30, 2013
(Original Post) December 27, 2013 10:25 am • STEVEN ELBOW | The Capital Times | [email protected] Gov. Scott Walker raised a lot of eyebrows earlier this month when he broached the idea of scrapping the state income tax, joining seven other states. So what do Alaska, Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, Texas, Washington and Wyoming do […]
Financial Times: US states trade tax offers in battle to host Boeing
December 13, 2013
(Original Post) Excerpt States and localities devote an estimated $50bn to tax incentives every year as they jockey for the promise of jobs related to new company operations or the threat of relocation, according to the Washington-based Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) think-tank. Recent examples include Archer Daniels Midland, an agribusiness group, that […]
