Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP)

Washington

State Rundown 5/22: When One Legislative Session Closes, Another Opens

State legislatures are wrapping up, but don’t stray too far from your state capital or you’ll miss out on the action...

Iowa Flat Tax Shows Why Such Policies Are a Problem Everywhere

As Iowa lawmakers change the state’s graduated personal income tax to a single flat rate, they are designing a state tax code where the rich will pay a lower rate overall than families with modest means.

Sacramento Bee: Is California Really a High-Tax State? New Findings Question That Claim

April 25, 2024

Maybe California is not such a high tax state after all — at least for lower income families. “For families of modest means, California is not a high tax state,” says a new study from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a liberal Washington research group. Read more.  

State Rundown 4/17: Tax Cut Proposals and the Consequences of Bad Tax Cuts

Happy (belated) Tax Day!

Congress Should Enhance – Not Diminish – IRS Capability this Tax Season

While funding cuts to the IRS may have been necessary as a political matter to avoid harmful agency shutdowns, they are severely misguided as a policy matter. By all serious accounts, cuts to IRS funding increase the deficit due to uncollected taxes – mostly from big businesses and the very wealthy.

blog  

State Rundown 3/14: Sessions are Heating Up

March 14, 2024 • By ITEP Staff

State Rundown 3/14: Sessions are Heating Up

Many state legislative sessions are in the final stretch...

Sacramento Bee: California Families Could Save Thousands of Dollars From Proposed Child Tax Break. Here’s Why

March 12, 2024

President Joe Biden’s child tax credit plan would benefit millions of California parents, saving eligible families an average of $2,980, according to data from Washington’s Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy.

State Rundown 3/6: Tax Cuts Aren’t Forever, or for Evers

Anti-tax interests finally found the end of the tax cutting appetite in a few states this week...

blog  

Moving the Needle Toward Tax Fairness in the States

March 4, 2024 • By Jon Whiten

Moving the Needle Toward Tax Fairness in the States

While many state lawmakers have spent the past few years debating deep and damaging tax cuts that disproportionately help the rich, more forward-thinking lawmakers have improved tax equity by raising new revenue from the well-off and creating or expanding refundable tax credits for low- and moderate-income families.

Newsweek: Income Tax Ban Could Be Reality for Millions

March 4, 2024

Supporters of a Washington resident-backed initiative trying to officially eliminate personal income taxes in the state got their first hearing before the legislature on Tuesday. Washington residents haven't paid personal income taxes in almost a century thanks to a 1933 decision by the state Supreme Court, but those backing Initiative 2111 want to make sure that things stay that way, cementing the existing practice into law. I-2111 would prohibit state, counties, cities, and other local jurisdictions from imposing or collecting income taxes.

State Rundown 2/28: States Keep Busy While Washington Stalls

State legislative sessions are in full swing with New Jersey and Oklahoma both particularly active this week...

State Rundown 2/22: Some Top-Heavy Tax Cut Proposals are Getting the Chop

With many state legislatures now in full swing with activity heating up, some tax cut proposals have lost steam...

blog  

State Rundown 2/14: Our Love Language is Taxes

February 14, 2024 • By ITEP Staff

State Rundown 2/14: Our Love Language is Taxes

As many of you may know, we love taxes, along with the many great things they provide for our communities...

State Rundown 2/8: Flowers, Chocolates, and Tax Cuts for the Wealthy?

While we were hoping to get progressive tax policy wins for Valentine’s Day, many state lawmakers have another idea in mind...

State Rundown 1/18: State Tax Priorities Taking Shape in 2024

Tax policy themes have begun to crop up in states as governors give their yearly addresses and legislators lay out their plans for the 2024 legislative season...

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’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...

blog  

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.

blog  

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...

blog  

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.