Jared Walczak

The Shortcomings of Nebraska’s EPIC Option

Tangible Personal Property De Minimis Exemptions by State, 2024

Does your state have a small business exemption for machinery and equipment?

The State Flat Tax Revolution: Where Things Stand Today

In 2021 and 2022 alone, more states enacted laws converting graduated-rate individual income tax structures into single-rate income tax structures than did so in the whole 108-year history of state income taxation up until that point.

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.

State and Local Sales Tax Rates, 2024

Retail sales taxes are an essential part of most states’ revenue toolkits, responsible for 32 percent of state tax collections and 13 percent of local tax collections (24 percent of combined collections).

Kentucky Sales Tax Modernization: Keeping the Sales Tax on Sales, Not Production

As policymakers continue efforts to improve Kentucky’s tax structure and competitiveness, they should keep in mind that not all offsets are created equal.

Governor Youngkin Unveils a New Tax Plan for Virginia

Virginia Governor Youngkin unveiled the contours of a tax reform plan incorporated into his forthcoming budget, which includes three major structural elements: a reduction in the individual income tax rate, a 0.9 percentage point increase in the sales tax rate, and the broadening of the sales tax base to include some “new economy” digital services.

Personal Property De Minimis Exemptions Slash Compliance Burdens at Trivial Cost

All policy choices involve trade-offs—but occasionally, the ratio of costs and benefits is shockingly lopsided. Adopting a de minimis exemption for tangible personal property (TPP) taxes is just such a policy: one which massively reduces compliance and administrative burdens at trivial cost.

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.

Jeff Bezos’s Move Undercuts Proposed Washington State Wealth Tax

Whether tax savings motivated his move or not, the implications for Washington are very real, and serve to illustrate just how dangerous it can be to design tax systems that rely so overwhelmingly on a very small number of taxpayers choosing to stay put.

The State Business Tax Climate Index Is Your Guide to Economic “Wins Above Replacement”

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.

The Future of Arkansas Tax Reform: Next Steps on the Road Map to Competitiveness

Responsible pro-growth reforms to Arkansas’s tax code can help ensure that the Natural State is indeed a Land of Opportunity.

Leave Worldwide Combined Reporting in the ‘80s, Where It Belongs

Given enough time, everything old is new again—including tax ideas best consigned to history. But worldwide combined reporting, which a few states flirted with in the 1980s, is rearing its head again.

The Wayfair Sales Tax Ruling, Five Years Later

It’s the 5th anniversary of the groundbreaking Wayfair Supreme Court decision–a ruling that marked a new era of sales tax collection and changed how we think about taxation in the digital age.

The Faulty Revenue Estimate Behind Minnesota’s Consideration of Worldwide Combined Reporting

As Minnesota lawmakers consider making theirs the first state to mandate worldwide combined reporting, they are relying on a revenue estimate that is—this may not be the technical term—completely bogus.

America’s Progressive Tax and Transfer System: Federal, State, and Local Tax and Transfer Distributions

The overall U.S. tax and transfer system is overwhelmingly progressive, and understanding the extent—and source—of that progressivity is essential for lawmakers considering the trade-offs associated with each tax policy decision.

Washington Supreme Court Affirms Capital Gains Tax and Invites Challenge to Broader Income Tax Restrictions

The Washington Supreme Court not only gave its blessing to a capital gains tax that runs afoul of the state constitution, but it also set out a welcome mat for legislators eager to implement a broader income tax.

West Virginia Lawmakers Reach Deal on Tax Relief

In a day and age when businesses and individuals alike are increasingly mobile, West Virginians can be relieved that their state is getting off the sideline and into the action.

Cities Want to Tax Streaming Video Services, but They’re Not Sure Why

A growing number of cities, in red states like Arkansas and Texas, blue states like California and New Jersey, and purple states like Georgia and Nevada, have pursued streaming taxes in recent years.