Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP)

Washington

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.

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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...

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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...

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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 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 […]