August 5, 2016 10:01 AM By Kelly Davis, Assistant Director of Communications | Permalink | In the Tax Justice Digest we recap the latest reports, blog posts, and analyses from Citizens for Tax Justice and the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. Here’s a rundown of what we’ve been working on lately. Ridiculous Olympic Tax Break […]
August 4, 2016 04:28 PM By Kelsey Kober, Intern at ITEP | Permalink | As thousands of athletes compete in the Rio Olympics later this week, U.S. lawmakers appear to be competing for the most ridiculous legislative tax proposals. One gold medal contender is Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), whose proposed plan would make cash prizes […]
August 4, 2016 11:11 AM By Matt Gardner, Senior Fellow at ITEP | Permalink | Earlier this week the U.S. Treasury Department proposed new regulations designed to prevent wealthy business owners from avoiding estate tax liability by artificially undervaluing their assets. The tax avoidance strategy the new regs are designed to prevent takes advantage of […]
August 3, 2016 03:47 PM By Meg Wiehe, Deputy Director at ITEP | Permalink | This week’s Rundown features a reiterated commitment to no new taxes in New Mexico, talk of a special revenue session in Oklahoma, tax shifting debates in Mississippi, and a looming shortfall in Missouri. Be sure to check out the What […]
August 3, 2016 03:29 PM By Aidan Russell Davis, Senior Analyst at ITEP | Permalink | The sharp decline in oil prices since summer 2014 has allowed consumers to save hundreds of dollars annually at the pump, but it also has left some energy producing states clamoring to come up with policy ideas to make […]
August 3, 2016 11:55 AM By Matt Gardner, Senior Fellow at ITEP | Permalink | Earlier this summer, Microsoft announced it would finance its purchase of the professional social networking site LinkedIn by borrowing $26 billion, rather than dipping into its substantial hoard of offshore cash. The ratings agency Moody’s subsequently placed the company under […]
July 28, 2016 11:46 AM By Kelly Davis, Assistant Director of Communications | Permalink | In the Tax Justice Digest we recap the latest reports, blog posts, and analyses from Citizens for Tax Justice and the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. Here’s a rundown of what we’ve been working on lately. The 411 on the […]
July 27, 2016 02:03 PM By Meg Wiehe, Deputy Director at ITEP | Permalink | This week’s Rundown features an ongoing stalemate in New Jersey, talk of new tax cuts in Arkansas, “tampon taxes,” and the taxation of fantasy sports. Be sure to check out the What We’re Reading section for new research on public […]
July 27, 2016 11:07 AM By Carl Davis, Research Director at ITEP | Permalink | Few proposals generate as much agreement among economists and tax reform advocates as expanding state and local sales tax bases to include purchases of personal services. While sales taxes typically apply quite broadly to tangible goods, purchases made in the […]
July 26, 2016 05:03 PM By Richard Phillips, Senior Policy Analyst at ITEP | Permalink | The tax-related proposals in the recently released Democratic Party platform represent a meaningful victory for progressives. From advocating for the expansion of poverty-reducing tax credits to condemning corporations that avoid taxation by stashing profits offshore, the provisions outlined in […]
July 26, 2016 04:22 PM By Citizens for Tax Justice Staff | Permalink | As the eyes of the U.S. turn to the Democratic National Convention this week, many people will be getting their first look at Hillary Clinton’s recently announced running mate, Sen. Tim Kaine. As one of Virginia’s current senators and the state’s […]
July 22, 2016 04:45 PM By Richard Phillips, Senior Policy Analyst at ITEP | Permalink | In 2015, Citigroup reported to the Security and Exchange Commission that it has 21 offshore subsidiary companies, but it reported to the Federal Reserve that it has 140. Similarly, Bank of America reported to the SEC that it has […]
July 21, 2016 05:13 PM By Citizens for Tax Justice Staff | Permalink | A new report by Institute for Policy Studies (IPS) finds that the U.S. government is failing to meet clean energy goals due in part to opposition from public utility companies, which account for a third of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. What’s […]
July 21, 2016 03:09 PM By Kelly Davis, Assistant Director of Communications | Permalink | In the Tax Justice Digest we recap the latest reports, blog posts, and analyses from Citizens for Tax Justice and the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. Here’s a rundown of what we’ve been working on lately. The Most Egregious Tax […]
July 20, 2016 06:30 PM By Citizens for Tax Justice Staff | Permalink | The Republican Party’s official 2016 platform, released on Monday, is wholly out of touch with reality. The plan would exacerbate the dual problems of rising inequality and continuous annual federal budget deficits with tax cuts that essentially put more money into […]
July 20, 2016 02:43 PM By Jenice Robinson, Communications Director | Permalink | The theme of day two of the Republican National Convention was “Make America Work Again,” but there was mostly fire and brimstone (even a mention of Lucifer) and little concrete discussion about how to boost workforce participation rates, create more good-paying jobs, […]
July 20, 2016 12:35 PM By Meg Wiehe, Deputy Director at ITEP | Permalink | This week we bring you tax and budget news in Alaska, North Dakota, Massachusetts, Mississippi, and Cleveland, Ohio. Be sure to check out the What We’re Reading section for a grab bag of tax-related op-eds, new research and even a […]
July 20, 2016 10:21 AM By Aidan Russell Davis, Senior Analyst at ITEP | Permalink | The good news: Pennsylvania lawmakers took steps to fund state services, supporting an increase in basic education and likely guarding the state from a credit downgrade. The bad news: rather than doing so through broad-based tax changes, they opted […]
July 18, 2016 09:59 AM By Carl Davis, Research Director at ITEP | Permalink | Of all the principles of good tax policy, none should be less controversial than “neutrality.” Rather than picking winners and losers, tax systems should strive to treat similar situations in a similar way. It makes no sense, for example, to […]
July 15, 2016 04:52 PM By Citizens for Tax Justice Staff | Permalink | The upcoming week undoubtedly will yield a plethora of articles on Donald Trump and VP pick Gov. Mike Pence’s differences and similarities. From a tax policy perspective, a review of the Indiana governor’s record reveals he and Donald Trump are on […]
July 14, 2016 03:41 PM By Kelly Davis, Assistant Director of Communications | Permalink | In the Tax Justice Digest we recap the latest reports, blog posts, and analyses from Citizens for Tax Justice and the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. Here’s a rundown of what we’ve been working on lately. Why Sales Tax […]
July 14, 2016 03:01 PM By Meg Wiehe, Deputy Director at ITEP | Permalink | This week we bring you tax and budget news in Alaska, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Massachusetts plus look at the growing trend in states turning to cigarette taxes. Check out the What We’re Reading section below for a piece on […]
July 13, 2016 04:07 PM By Citizens for Tax Justice Staff | Permalink | Gilead Sciences has been the subject of lawsuits, political rebuke and public ire for the last few years as health advocates have called out the drug maker for price gouging after it purchased a smaller pharmaceutical firm and hiked the price […]
July 13, 2016 01:59 PM By Dylan Grundman, Senior Analyst at ITEP | Permalink | Back to school shopping season is just around the corner, which means it’s also time for our annual lesson on the follies of “sales tax holidays,” a tax policy idea that fails to make the grade. In our newly updated […]
July 12, 2016 03:23 PM By Aidan Russell Davis, Senior Analyst at ITEP | Permalink | The decline of oil tax and royalty revenues in Alaska, which once funded the state government with money to spare, has created a multi-billion-dollar revenue shortfall that the state’s lawmakers have struggled to address. To shore up the state’s […]