A new paper shows raising top income tax rates on the current tax base may not yield as much revenue as previously estimated, due to opportunities to shift income to different tax bases within the tax code.
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This November, states across the country are asking voters to consider changes to their state constitutions to address the burden of rising property taxes.
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If we want to ensure that AI raises economic growth, we shouldn’t be pursuing tax policies that are stuck in the past and represent some of the worst ideas from the early internet age.
While the government will never close the tax gap or fully eliminate tax fraud, lawmakers and the IRS can institute several reforms to reduce the gap, including simplifying the tax code, increasing third-party information reporting, and coordinating anti-fraud efforts.
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With Social Security insolvency rapidly approaching and policymakers exploring changes to benefits and taxation, Congress could look to base-broadening reforms like the ECT as a guide for how to think about taxing compensation and broadening the tax base.
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Cigarette smuggling is costly for states. We estimate that the forgone revenue from smuggled cigarettes totaled more than $4.6 billion in 2024. California lost nearly $1.4 billion in cigarette excise tax collections, and New York missed out on more than $1.2 billion.
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2026 Tax Brackets
Facts & Figures 2026: How Does Your State Compare?
Summary of the Latest Federal Income Tax Data, Tax Year 2023
State Individual Income Tax Rates and Brackets, 2026
State and Local Sales Tax Rates, 2026
Corporate Tax Rates Around the World, 2025
Top Personal Income Tax Rates in Europe, 2026
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Commentary
See All CommentaryA “Token Tax” Could Kill the Promise of AI
If we want to ensure that AI raises economic growth, we shouldn’t be pursuing tax policies that are stuck in the past and represent some of the worst ideas from the early internet age.
The California Billionaire Tax’s Ever-Shifting Goalposts
Wealth taxes have been a failure everywhere they’ve been tried, which may be why advocates for the California amendment are saying this is a new frontier. But the countries that have tried this gamble know the frontier well, and they’ve left it in the dust.
The 2026 Ballot Measures Shaping State Taxes
What happens when voters decide tax policy directly? This November, roughly 40 tax measures are on the ballot across 17 states. Some states want higher taxes on top earners, others want to write low rates into their constitutions, and Missouri voters will decide whether to start a fund that could one day replace every state tax.
Inflation Costs New Jerseyans More than a Rebate Check
Missing out on a tax rebate check is certainly disheartening, but New Jersey wallets are getting actively drained by an even bigger problem in the tax code: the state’s graduated-rate income tax thresholds don’t change with inflation, either.
California’s Wealth Tax Explained (And Why It Might Fail)
California’s billionaire tax is on the ballot this November, and it raises more questions than answers. From lost government revenue to legal battles that could drag on for years, what would this first-in-the-nation wealth tax actually do?
Teachers Are Omitting a Big Part of Financial Literacy
Most Americans don’t understand how the tax code works. According to a poll conducted by TaxEDU, a majority of respondents do not have a basic understanding of common tax concepts.
Maryland Ruling Exposes the Utah Targeted Advertising Tax’s Legal Vulnerability
Going Bold: Paul Ryan & Kevin Brady on Tax Reform
Testimony: Legislative Proposal to Adapt the Income Tax Code to the Digital Economy Repeats the Economic and Legal Mistakes of Digital Services Taxes
Will Trump Accounts Make Saving Easier?
Why Wealth Taxes Always Fail
Why Billionaires Are Still Leaving California