Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP)

Washington

ITEP Statement on Federal Tax Deal on Child Tax Credit, Business Tax Breaks

Child poverty is a problem. Corporations paying too much in taxes is not. Unfortunately, many members of Congress have refused to direct resources to help children in poverty unless an equal amount of resources is simultaneously directed towards corporate tax cuts.

Washington State House Democrats: WA Improves Tax Equity Based On New Report

January 15, 2024

Washington’s tax system is becoming more fair for working families. Read more.

Washington: Who Pays? 7th Edition

January 9, 2024 • By ITEP Staff

Washington: Who Pays? 7th Edition

Washington Download PDF All figures and charts show 2024 tax law in Washington, presented at 2023 income levels. Senior taxpayers are excluded for reasons detailed in the methodology. Our analysis includes nearly all (99.3 percent) state and local tax revenue collected in Washington. As seen in Appendix D, the state’s new Working Families Tax Credit […]

State Rundown 1/4: New Year, New Opportunities, Same Tax Cut Proposals

The year may be new, but state lawmakers seem to have the same old resolution: slashing state income taxes...

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State Rundown 12/14: Tax Policy Debates Ramp Up for 2024

December 14, 2023 • By ITEP Staff

State Rundown 12/14: Tax Policy Debates Ramp Up for 2024

Even as revenue collections slow in many states, some are starting the push for 2024 tax cuts early. For instance, policymakers in Georgia and Utah are already making the case for deeper income tax cuts. Meanwhile, Arizona lawmakers are now facing a significant deficit, the consequence of their recent top-heavy tax cuts. There is another […]

Washington Monthly: A Taxing Question for the Roberts Court

December 8, 2023

The justices are being asked to define income under the 16th Amendment, and their answer will have a huge effect on enacting taxes on extreme wealth. Read more.

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State Rundown 11/29: Thankful for Good Tax Policy

November 29, 2023 • By ITEP Staff

State Rundown 11/29: Thankful for Good Tax Policy

Though Turkey Day has passed, lawmakers in states across the U.S. have yet to get their fill of delicious tax policy goodness...

Hidden in Plain Sight: Race and Tax Policy in 2023 State Legislative Sessions

Race was front and center in a lot of state policy debates this year, from battles over what’s being taught in schools to disagreements over new voting laws. Less visible, but also extremely important, were the racial implications of tax policy changes. What states accomplished this year – both good and bad – will acutely affect people and families of color.

State Rundown 11/8: Election Results Bring Victories, Opportunities for More Common-Sense Tax Reform

Voters had the chance to impact tax policy across the country on election day, and some chose to enact common-sense reforms to raise revenue...

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The Moore Case Before the U.S. Supreme Court Could Widen the Racial Wealth Gap

October 17, 2023 • By Brakeyshia Samms, Moore v. United States

The Moore Case Before the U.S. Supreme Court Could Widen the Racial Wealth Gap

Moore v. United States, already a cause for concern for tax lawyers, could create more barriers for racial equity advocates working to reverse the economic plight of many households of color.

State Rundown 10/12: Tax Policy Debates Don’t Just Happen in the Statehouse

It may be the off-season for state legislatures, but tax policy changes could soon emerge from the ballot box or the courts. Advocates in Arkansas want voters to decide the future of taxing diapers and feminine hygiene products, and supporters of public education in Nebraska are working to make sure voters have a say on the state’s school choice tax credit. Meanwhile, cannabis firms in Missouri are suing the state over cities and counties stacking sales tax on marijuana.

The American Prospect: Can States Plug Gaps in Federal Policy?

October 10, 2023

Expansion of the Child Tax Credit is blocked in Washington, but many states are partly helping. They can do only so much. Read more.

Washington Post Editorial: The Best Vehicle for Addressing Child Poverty is Right Before Our Eyes

September 18, 2023

Child poverty in the United States more than doubled from 2021 to 2022, data released Tuesday from the Census Bureau shows. The surge — by far the largest jump on record — is a tragedy that was foreseeable and could have been prevented. It is largely the result of the decision by Congress not to renew the enhanced child […]

Washington Post: Trump Advisers Plot Aggressive New Tax Cuts for Second White House Term

September 11, 2023

As Donald Trump widens his lead over other Republican candidates in the GOP primary, the former president’s closest economic advisers are plotting an aggressive new set of tax cuts to push on the campaign trail and from the Oval Office if he wins a second term. Read more.

Washington Post: Biden Wants Rich Companies to Pay Higher Taxes. Some Are Fighting Back.

August 14, 2023

It was a simple idea: Major U.S. corporations should pay at least a 15 percent tax on their income, ending an era when some of the country’s most profitable firms owed the federal government little or nothing at all. Instead, the policy championed by President Biden remains bogged down in Washington amid growing legal uncertainty […]

City of Seattle Revenue Stabilization Workgroup: Final Report

August 10, 2023

Seattle strives to support a social safety net for people in need and to uplift our diverse communities. Those services are too often financed by putting a disproportionate burden on those least able to afford it. Washington State ranks as having the most regressive tax system in the country. It doesn’t need to be that […]

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State Rundown 7/26: The Dog Days of Summer Tax News

July 26, 2023 • By ITEP Staff

State Rundown 7/26: The Dog Days of Summer Tax News

The Dog Days of summer are upon us, and with most states out of session and extreme heat waves making their way across the country, it’s a perfect time to sit back and catch up on all your favorite state tax happenings (ideally with a cool drink in hand)...

States and Localities are Making Progress on Curbing Unjust Fees and Fines

Too many state and local governments tap legal-system collections, rather than adequate tax systems, to fund shared essentials like public safety and education. But a growing number of states and localities are choosing a better approach. Momentum for change has continued to build in 2023, with no fewer than seven states enacting substantial improvements.

Sacramento Bee: Biden, Democrats Want to Increase Tax Break for Parents. It Could Help 15 million Californians

July 12, 2023

The increased tax credit would help an estimated 14.7 million Californians, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a progressive Washington-based research group. While the proposed increase has a long way to go legislatively, and is likely to change, it’s one of several tax cuts under serious discussion. Read more

The Highs and Lows of 2023 State Legislative Sessions

Nearly one-third of states took steps to improve their tax systems this year by investing in people through refundable tax credits, and in a few notable cases by raising revenue from those most able to pay. But another third of states lost ground, continuing a trend of permanent tax cuts that overwhelmingly benefit high-income households and make tax codes less adequate and equitable.

Congressional Republicans Distort a New Report on the Global Minimum Tax

The notion that we are better off allowing our corporations to pretend their profits are earned in the Cayman Islands or Ireland simply defies logic and the facts. There is no scenario in which the U.S. would be better by ditching the international agreement that the government already negotiated. 

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State Rundown 6/1: State Revenue Highs and Lows

June 1, 2023 • By ITEP Staff

State Rundown 6/1: State Revenue Highs and Lows

Short-sighted tax cuts continue to make their way to Governors’ desks this week. In Florida, Gov. DeSantis signed a $1.3 billion tax cut package with $550 million of the tax cuts from sales tax holidays, alone. The Nebraska legislature also sent $6.4 billion in tax cuts to Gov. Pillen’s desk which includes an enormous personal income tax cut that will reduce taxes on the top 1 percent by tens of thousands of dollars.

Washington Post: How California’s Wild Weather Brought the Debt-Ceiling ‘X Date’ Closer

May 22, 2023

As President Biden and lawmakers scramble to strike a debt ceiling deal before the government runs out of money, each day counts — to the tune of about $17 billion. That’s how much the U.S. Treasury spends daily, on average, to keep the government functioning. Read more.

State Rundown 5/18: Credits, Cuts, and Corporate Revenue Raisers

This past week, in statehouses around the country, tax policy decisions are moving fast as budgets were signed and budget plans were released and passed...

State Rundown 4/27: Health, Wealth, and State Tax Policy

This week the importance of state tax policy is center stage once again...