States are flush with cash, but taxpayers’ purchasing power is being eroded by high inflation. It’s unsurprising that many policymakers have jumped at the chance to apply surpluses to meet the genuine needs of many residents—but good intentions do not always make for good policy. Tax rebates, gas tax holidays, and other temporary tax expedients […]
How do taxes in your state compare regionally and nationally? Facts and Figures, a resource we’ve provided to U.S. taxpayers and legislators since 1941, serves as a one-stop state tax data resource that compares all 50 states on over 40 measures of tax rates, collections, burdens, and more. For visualizations and further analysis of 2022 state tax data, explore […]
No policy idea is ever truly gone. As oil prices have skyrocketed, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) have introduced a bill targeted at oil company profits. While billed as a Windfall Profits Tax, the proposal is really an excise tax. The United States has implemented such a tax before, in 1980, […]
Key Findings Policymakers on both the left and right have brought industrial policy back into focus after slow growth over the past few decades and growing concern over the state of America’s manufacturing sector. In the context of the tax code, industrial policy usually comes in the form of non-neutral subsidies for specific industries or […]
With gas prices soaring in March, Florida is preparing to give drivers a gas tax holiday—in October. A cynic might wonder why the gas tax holiday aligns so closely with election season (lawmakers cite other reasons), but in many respects, the timing is the least of the issues with Florida’s pending suspension of the gas […]
Rising inflation has become a dominant issue for policymakers in the past year, with the most recent report finding inflation has risen 7.5 percent over the past 12 months. Some lawmakers have proposed suspending the gas tax to reduce inflation. Rising gas prices are certainly one piece of the inflation puzzle—but suspending the gas tax […]
Key Findings The waning pandemic and robust economic recovery have come with many benefits—plentiful jobs and fast-growing (nominal) incomes—but also serious challenges such as high and rising inflation. Rather than pushing for more fiscal stimulus or leaving it to the Federal Reserve to handle inflation through higher interest rates, policymakers should focus on boosting the […]
It’s that time of year when we review which items of the tax code are scheduled to expire or otherwise change in just a few days. An eclectic group of temporary tax policies approach their expiration dates, but at the last minute typically hitchhike onto must-pass legislation for another temporary extension. Not so this year, […]
Executive Summary Overview Tax reform has been on Kentucky lawmakers’ minds for years, and while significant progress has been made recently, substantial work remains to be done. In 2018, the General Assembly made important strides in creating a more neutral, pro-growth tax structure even while generating a net increase in revenue. With its reduction in […]
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) knows how to make a splash, and his proposal to suspend the state’s gas tax—temporarily, but without a specific end date—will only burnish that reputation. Citing rising prices at the pump and the state’s substantial revenue surplus, the governor is calling upon the legislature to take the state’s gas tax […]