2016 State Tax Policy Trends: States Considering Raising Revenue in Both Big and Small Ways

This is the third installment of our six part series on 2016 state tax trends.

Significant revenue shortfalls and the desire to increase funding for public education and other public investments are spurring lawmakers in more than 16 states to consider revenue raising measures both big and small this year.  The need to raise a significant amount of revenue, due either to dips in oil and gas tax revenue or ongoing budget impasses, will provide an opportunity to overhaul upside-down and inadequate tax systems with reform-minded solutions.

A new report from the Rockefeller Institute (PDF) quantified what we all instinctively already know–states with a heavy dependence on revenue from natural resources suffer when oil and gas tax prices tumble.  Revenues dropped by 3.2 percent between September 2014 and 2015 in Alaska, Louisiana, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Texas, West Virginia and Wyoming while the other 42 states experienced a combined growth in revenues of more than 6 percent. So, it should be no surprise that some of the biggest revenue challenges in the country are found in these energy dependent states, many of which shortsightedly reduced or even eliminated reliance on broad-based taxes during their “boom” years.  Of this group, Alaska and Louisiana are of particular interest as both states will explore transformative changes to their tax systems.

More than seven months into the current fiscal year, Illinois and Pennsylvania are still working without budgets, or much needed new revenue, in place. We will be watching both states closely this year for proposals that will finally help to break the stalemates.  And, many other states including Connecticut, and Vermont have lingering revenue problems leftover from the recession that will require lawmakers to take a hard look at their state tax systems to avoid yet more spending cuts. 

On a brighter note, not all of the anticipated revenue raising in the states this year will happen in response to revenue crises.  There are a number of efforts across the country to raise new revenue for much needed investments in public education, health care and transportation.  Voters in California, Maine, and Oregon will be asked to support higher taxes on the wealthy or corporations at the ballot in November and a similar effort could make it onto the ballot in Massachusetts in 2018.  Lawmakers in New York and Utah have filed bills to increase taxes on their states’ wealthiest residents to allow for more revenue for public investments.  Even South Dakota is considering raising revenue–lawmakers from both parties want to increase the state’s sales tax in order to pay for teacher salary increases (a regressive choice, but one of the few options available in a state that does not have a personal income tax). 

Here’s a list of states we are watching in 2016:

Alaska

Alaska sticks out like a sore thumb compared to all of the other states with natural resource dependent economies experiencing revenue shortfalls.  The state has no personal income tax or sales tax to turn to in times of crisis and more than 90 percent of state investments are funded via taxes on the energy sector.  (Alaska is the only state to ever repeal a personal income tax and has been without one for 35 years.)  Thus, there are few options short of drastic measures to plug a growing budget gap of more than $3.5 billion.

Gov. Bill Walker proposed a plan in December that would, among other things, institute an income tax equal to 6 percent of the amount that Alaskans pay in federal income taxes and cut the annual dividend paid out to every Alaska resident.  Other lawmakers have discussed enacting a state sales tax.  No matter the outcome of the debate in the Last Frontier State this year, one things is for certain — lawmakers in other states that are interested in cutting or eliminating their personal income taxes must now think twice before holding up Alaska as a model for what they would like to achieve.

California

Back in 2012, California voters soundly approved a ballot measure, Proposition 30, that raised more than $6 billion in temporary revenue via a small hike in the sales tax and higher taxes on the state’s wealthiest residents.  The revenue raised from the measure helped get the Golden State back on its feet following the Great Recession and has allowed lawmakers to make much needed investments in education and health care.  Now there is an effort afoot to place a new question on the ballot this coming November to extend the income tax changes (higher brackets and rates on upper-income households) through 2030 with the revenue going largely towards expanding and sustaining investments in public education.

Illinois

More than seven months into the fiscal year, Illinois continues to operate without a budget in place because Gov. Bruce Rauner and state lawmakers are still battling over the best way to address the state’s massive $6 billion revenue shortfall.  Revenues are short largely due to a 25% income tax cut that took effect the beginning of 2015, leaving the state on even rockier fiscal ground. Democrats have proposed some tax increases, but the governor says he will not consider revenue raising proposals until lawmakers agree to his so-called “pro-business” reforms. 

Louisiana

Louisiana faces a current year shortfall of $750 million as well as a $1.9 billion hole next year thanks to anemic oil and gas revenues and the nearsighted tax policies (all cuts and no investments) of former Gov. Bobby Jindal.  Lawmakers will get to work post- Mardi Gras celebrations on a plan to address the state’s immediate and long-term revenue problems.

The state’s new leader, Gov. Jon Bel Edwards has proposed a number of revenue raising options including much needed reforms to the state’s personal and corporate income tax.  But, given that most reform options would take time to implement and that the state has an immediate need for cash to plug the current year gap, he is starting with a call for a one cent increase in the state sales tax (an approach the governor has conceded is less than ideal).  Gov. Edwards’  more long-term solutions to Louisiana’s structural budget problems come with a focus on the income tax — specifically calling for the elimination of the federal income tax deduction as a reform-minded idea that would raise much needed revenue and improve tax fairness. 

Maine voters will likely have the opportunity in November to approve a ballot measure that would raise more than $150 million in dedicated revenue for the state’s public schools. Under the initiative, taxpayers with $200,000 or more in income would pay a 3 percent surcharge on income above that amount.  The campaign behind the measure, Stand Up for Students, has collected well above the threshold of needed signatures to qualify for the ballot, but the question along with others must still be certified by the state.

Massachusetts

The Raise Up Massachusetts coalition is behind an effort to create a millionaires tax, dubbed the “fair share amendment”, in the Bay State.  Due to the lengthy ballot process involved, the question will not go before voters until 2018, but the campaign is already in high gear. They have collected the needed signatures to move forward and last month the initiative won overwhelming approval from the Legislature’s Committee on Revenue.  If approved by voters in 2018, taxpayers with incomes over $1 million would pay an additional 4 percent on that income on top of the state’s flat 5.1 percent income tax.

New Mexico

Gov. Susana Martinez continues to stand by her no-new-taxes pledge despite a growing revenue problem in her state, but that has not stopped other lawmakers from filing bills to increase taxes. Proposals have been introduced to delay the implementation of corporate income tax cuts enacted in 2013, raise gas taxes, and increase personal income tax rates.

New York

The New York Assembly unveiled  a proposal to raise taxes on millionaires and cut taxes for working families. Under the proposal, individuals earning between $1 million and $5 million would pay a tax rate of 8.82 percent on that income. Income between $5 million and $10 million would be taxed at 9.32 percent, and income over $10 million would be taxed at 9.82 percent. If enacted, the tax plan would raise $1.7 billion in revenue to increase spending on public education, and infrastructure projects . The plan also includes tax cuts for New Yorkers earning between $40,000 to $150,000 and an increase the state’s Earned Income Tax Credit, a tax break targeted to low-income working families.

Oklahoma

Gov. Mary Fallin recently unveiled a revenue raising package relying heavily on regressive cigarette and sales tax increases to plug the state’s more than $900 million shortfall.  The governor deserves some kudos for recognizing her state’s revenue problem needs a revenue-backed solution.  However, it should be noted that the state has cut the personal income tax by more than $1 billion since 2004, including a more than $140 million cut that went into effect at the start of the year despite the state’s revenue woes. Other than a proposal to eliminate a truly nonsensical income tax deduction, her plan mostly ignores income tax options.  Raising significant new revenue from sales and cigarette taxes will continue to shift more of the state’s tax reliance onto low- and moderate-income Sooner taxpayers, especially if some lawmakers succeed in their wish to eliminate the state’s 5 percent Earned Income Tax Credit.  Without this targeted tax break for low-income working families, the kinds of revenue raisers being discussed would certainly exacerbate tax inequality in the state.   

Oregon

An Oregon ballot initiative, sponsored by Our Oregon, would create an additional minimum tax on corporations with Oregon sales of at least $25 million (a 2.5 percent tax would apply to sales in excess of $25 million). If the initiative wins approval, it would raise close to $3 billion annually in new revenue for public education and senior health care programs. Currently, corporations doing business in Oregon pay the greater of a minimum tax based on relative Oregon sales or a corporate income tax rate of 6.6 percent on income up to $1 million and 7.6 percent on income thereafter.

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania government continues to operate more than 7 months into this fiscal year without a budget (there is an emergency funding budget in place that is more than $5 billion less than the proposed budget).  Yet, Gov. Tom Wolf is expected to propose a budget for next fiscal year on February 9th.  An ongoing disagreement on revenue raising measures and spending priorities between the governor and House and Senate lawmakers explain the hold up and several compromise budget and tax plans last summer and fall failed to gather enough support to break the impasse.  The situation is reaching crisis stage as the state now faces a $2.6 billion structural revenue gap and cannot continue to operate much longer on emergency funding if there are no longer enough revenues coming in to fund core government services.  Gov. Wolf is likely to try yet again to solve the problem with a balanced revenue proposal including income and sales tax increases and a new severance tax. 

South Dakota

South Dakota lawmakers led by Gov. Dennis Daugaard are proposing a 0.5 cent increase in the state’s sales tax that will raise more than $100 million annually.  Most of the revenue will be used to increase teachers’ salaries, a long sought after policy goal in a state that ranks 51st in teacher pay.  Democrats are proposing a similar measure, but their plan would first remove food from the state’s sales tax base and then raise the rate by a full cent.  While both measures fall more heavily on low-income households, the Democrats’ proposal is slightly less unfair (although it raises more revenue) since taxes on food hit low-income households especially hard.  South Dakota is one of nine states without a broad-based personal income tax, so their options for a more progressive tax increase are limited.

Utah

Utah Sen. Jim Dabakis has proposed adding two new brackets with higher rates to his state’s flat income tax to raise revenue for public education.  Taxpayers with income greater than $250,000 would pay more under his plan.  Dabakis argues that the state’s flat tax is a “disaster” and is largely to blame for the underfunding of K-12 schools.

West Virginia

Just a few short months ago, we were watching West Virginia for a large-scale tax reform package that would have likely reduced reliance on the state’s personal income tax.  But now that the state faces a revenue shortfall of more than $350 million this year (and more than $460 million next year), attention has turned to options for filling the gap.  As in Louisiana, past tax cuts are as much to blame for the state’s revenue woes as the hit to the state’s coal industry.

Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin’s budget proposal included higher taxes on tobacco and adding cell phone plans to the state’s 6 percent sales tax that together would raise around $140 million when fully implemented.

Other States to Watch: While governors in Vermont and Connecticut have said no to raising taxes to address budget gaps, lawmakers in those states are likely to challenge those sentiments and propose reform-minded tax increases that ask the wealthiest residents in their states to pay more. And Iowa lawmakers are considering a series of bills to increase the state’s sales tax to pay for everything from school construction to water quality projects and transportation infrastructure.