Proposed “Junk Fee” Rule Would Create Inadvertent Tax Headaches
One particular provision of the Biden administration’s proposal to ban so-called “junk fees” would have unintended consequences.
5 min read
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Michigan Tobacco Bills Could Reduce Revenue and Increase Smuggling
Two pieces of tobacco legislation in Michigan have the potential to decrease state tax collections by $320 million per year, deter smokers from switching to less harmful products, and increase illicit trade and crime.
4 min read
JCT Report Shows How Corporate Tax Breaks Have Expanded
Lawmakers should prioritize creating a tax system that supports investment more broadly rather than subsidizing specific industries and allowing broad, neutral pro-investment provisions to expire.
3 min read
Evaluating Nebraska Governor’s Plan for Property Tax Relief
Nebraskans need property tax relief and there are sound ways to provide it. However, increasing the sales tax rate to the highest in the country and dramatically increasing cigarette excises is not sound tax policy.
5 min read
D.C. Tax Revision Commission Recommends Major Tax Changes
While some recommendations follow the principles of sound tax policy and may improve the District’s tax climate, some proposals make the tax code more complex and less neutral, potentially disincentivizing investment and business activity.
6 min read
Tax Files under New Council of EU Presidency: Belgium
In such a determinant semester for Europe, principled tax policy can be an important tool for a more competitive European Union.
5 min read
Methane Fee to Take Effect in 2024: A Mini Carbon Price
At the beginning of 2024, a fee on certain methane emissions took effect. While insignificant on its own, it is the first U.S. federal-level effort to price greenhouse gas emissions to combat climate change.
3 min read
State Tax Changes Taking Effect January 1, 2024
Thirty-four states will ring in the new year with notable tax changes, including 15 states cutting individual or corporate income taxes (and some cutting both).
17 min read
Modernization of the Alcohol Tax
An alcohol by volume (ABV) tax could replace the existing alcohol tax system. An ABV tax would make alcohol taxes simpler, more transparent, and substantially more neutral than the current system.
18 min read
Is the Foreign Pollution Fee Act a Carbon Price?
A national-level carbon price—a tax or cap-and-trade scheme placed on CO2 or other greenhouse gases—may seem distant in the U.S., especially since the Inflation Reduction Act, which included major climate policy, omitted one. However, policymakers on both sides of the aisle have been nibbling around the edges of carbon taxes.
5 min read
Cannabis Taxation: Lessons Learned from U.S. States and a Blueprint for Nationwide Cannabis Tax Policy
Marijuana taxation is one of the hottest policy issues in the United States. Twenty-one states have implemented legislation to legalize and tax recreational marijuana sales.
16 min read
Cigarette Taxes and Cigarette Smuggling by State, 2021
People respond to incentives. As tax rates increase or products are banned from sale, consumers and producers search for ways around these penalties and restrictions.
17 min read
Risks to Worldwide Investment as Capital Allowances Began to Phase Out in 2023
Rather than adopt temporary policies that phase out and expire, policymakers should focus their efforts on long-term reforms to support investment.
5 min read
How High Are State and Local Tax Collections in Your State?
Contrary to initial expectations, the pandemic years were good for state and local tax collections, and while the surges of 2021 and 2022 have not continued into calendar year 2023, revenues remain robust in most states and well above pre-pandemic levels even after accounting for inflation.
4 min read
How Well Do Carbon Taxes Match Their Promise? A New Proposed Metric
While existing carbon taxes are a step towards the right direction in addressing climate change and incentivizing reductions in emissions, there is considerable room for improvement to reach the ideal theoretical carbon tax model.
59 min read
Testimony: The Costs and Complexity of the Federal Tax Code Demand Reform
Lawmakers should simplify the tax code so that taxpayers can understand the laws and the IRS can administer them with minimum cost and frustration.
35 min read
Excise Taxes and Fees on Wireless Services Drop Slightly in 2023
To alleviate the regressive impact on wireless consumers, states should examine their existing communications tax structures and consider policies that transition their tax systems away from narrowly based wireless taxes and toward broad-based tax sources.
18 min read
Californians Still Smoking Menthol after Ban: Evidence from a Discarded Pack Audit
It’s been almost a year since California banned the sale of all flavored tobacco products, and the big question is: did it work?
4 min read
2024 State Business Tax Climate Index
In recognition of the fact that there are better and worse ways to raise revenue, our Index focuses on how state tax revenue is raised, not how much. The rankings, therefore, reflect how well states structure their tax systems.
111 min read
Pennsylvania Cigarette Minimum Markups Will Cost the State $47 Million per Year
Minimum markup policies tend to be wildly unpopular among both taxpayers and policymakers. Lawmakers should carefully evaluate whether minimum markup laws are policies that improve the well-being of their constituents.
3 min read