States That Might Tax Student Loan Debt Cancellation
Will states consider student loan forgiveness a taxable event? In some states, the answer could be yes.
5 min read
Expert
Jared Walczak
Senior Fellow
Jared Walczak is a Senior Fellow at the Tax Foundation, where he spent five years as Vice President of State Projects, and president of Walczak Policy Consulting.
Jared is a regular on the conference circuit and is well known in state capitols. He has written or co-written tax reform guides for more than a dozen states. His efforts have been instrumental in securing tax reform in many states, including sweeping reforms in Iowa and Louisiana, along with substantive reforms in Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming, among others.
Jared serves as a visiting fellow with several other organizations, including the CalTax Foundation, the National Taxpayers Union, the Illinois Policy Institute, the Platte Institute, and the Mackinac Center. He also serves as a member of the faculty of the Institute for Professionals in Taxation, sits on the state tax advisory board of the Institute for State Policy Leaders, and contributes to Tax Notes State magazine. He is the author of the “SALT Road” Substack, a free newsletter on state and local tax policy.
Latest Work
Unpacking the State and Local Tax Toolkit: Sources of State and Local Tax Collections (FY 2020)
The mix of tax sources states choose can have important implications for both revenue stability and economic growth, and the many variations across states are indicative of the different ways states weigh competing policy goals.
29 min read
Idaho’s Tax Hiking Ballot Measure Is Riddled With Mistakes
Idaho Ballot initiative would impose an incredibly high top marginal rate that would fall on many small businesses, not just high-income earners.
7 min read
Two Dozen States Show Why the Kansas Critique of Income Tax Cuts Is Mistaken
The Kansas experience is so infamous that “what about Kansas?” is almost guaranteed to be a question—sometimes as a retort, but often a genuine expression of concern—any time any state explores tax relief. But what about the other two dozen states that have cut their income taxes since then?
6 min read
Oklahoma Should Prioritize Pro-Growth Relief, Not Gimmicky Rebate Checks
If Sooner State policymakers want to use a portion of their higher revenues to make the economy work better for all Oklahomans, they should consider repealing the franchise tax, trimming the income tax, or both—paired, if desired, with targeted aid to those in the greatest need—not writing a single round of gimmicky checks.
5 min read
Comments on Tobacco Product Standard for Menthol in Cigarettes
Tax Foundation comments on the state tax and revenue implications of the proposed tobacco product standard for menthol in cigarettes.
Evaluating Wyoming’s Business Tax Competitiveness
Wyoming’s low taxes are highly attractive, but policymakers are still hard at work helping the state achieve broader economic development goals.
13 min read
State Sales Tax Breadth and Reliance, Fiscal Year 2021
The sales tax is too important a part of states’ revenue toolkits to be permitted further erosion, making sales tax modernization a vital project of the 2020s.
17 min read
FDA Menthol Ban Would Boost Smuggling, Reduce Revenues, with Few Health Benefits
Learn more about the FDA’s proposal to ban the sale of menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars. Including its effect on revenue & public health measures.
4 min read
The Surprising Regressivity of Grocery Tax Exemptions
Exempting groceries from the sales tax base reduces economic efficiency without achieving its objective of enhancing tax progressivity.
19 min read
State and Local Tax Burdens, Calendar Year 2022
Tax burdens rose across the country as pandemic-era economic changes caused taxable income, activities, and property values to rise faster than net national product. Tax burdens in 2020, 2021, and 2022 are all higher than in any other year since 1978.
24 min read
State Legislatures Take Up Tax Reform and Relief in 2022
After a whirlwind of cuts and reforms in 2021, it looks like 2022 might be an even bigger year for state tax codes. Republican and Democratic governors alike used their annual State of the State addresses to call for tax reform, and there is already serious momentum from state lawmakers nationwide to get the job done.
3 min read
Are Tax Rebates a Good Way to Provide Relief from Rising Prices?
States are flush with cash, but taxpayers’ purchasing power is being eroded by high inflation. Tax rebates, gas tax holidays, and other temporary tax expedients have the potential to add to existing inflation—but good intentions do not always make for good policy.
5 min read
Maryland Digital Advertising Tax Litigation Focus Moves to State Courts
Digital advertising taxes are poor tax policy and legally dubious in the extreme. Maryland has a long fight ahead of it—all for the right to enact a tax for which lawmakers struggle to even articulate a rationale.
5 min read
Iowa Enacts Sweeping Tax Reform
Even if 2022 sees many tax reforms, the scope of Iowa’s tax relief measures is likely to stand out. With the most recent reform package, Iowa lawmakers have made a significant investment in a more competitive tax climate for an increasingly competitive era.
6 min read
Florida Gas Tax Holiday Has Negligible Benefits—But Other States Seem Ready to Follow
A gas tax holiday may be good politics, but it’s unlikely to achieve its aims. There are far better ways to provide tax relief—short- or long-term—than an inefficient gas tax suspension.
4 min read
Missouri’s Tax Competitiveness
While Missouri has room for improvement, the state is making waves, positioning itself as an increasingly attractive location for business investment. And as ongoing reforms further enhance the competitiveness of the state’s tax code, more businesses will take notice.
8 min read
States Should Act Fast on UC Trust Fund Deposits, and Other Takeaways from the New Treasury Guidance on ARPA Funding
States will continue to cut taxes because revenues are skyrocketing. But some will also be keeping a close eye on litigation targeting this dubious restriction on states’ fiscal autonomy.
8 min read
California Considers Doubling its Taxes
Practically doubling state taxes—even if the burden is partially offset through state-provided health coverage—could send taxpayers racing for the exits.
6 min read
Eight State Tax Reforms for Mobility and Modernization
States are unprepared for the ongoing shift to remote and flexible work arrangements, or for the industries and activities of today, to say nothing of tomorrow. In some states, moreover, existing tax provisions exacerbate the impact of high inflation and contribute to the supply chain crisis.
40 min read