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Jared Walczak Tax Foundation
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 has written or co-written tax reform guides for more than a dozen states and has served as the principal author of the Tax Foundation’s State Tax Competitiveness Index and Location Matters. He is also a regular on the conference circuit and has testified before legislatures in 35 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 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

American Rescue Plan state tax cuts, American Rescue Plan tax cuts State Unemployment Compensation Trust Funds, Elizabeth Warren wealth tax, Some tax hikes are more damaging than others, according to Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and new Tax Foundation economic modeling.

Where State Unemployment Compensation Trust Funds Stand in December

With 2020 nearing its close, state unemployment compensation trust funds continue to struggle under the weight of so many pandemic-created beneficiaries, though some funds are beginning to stabilize as people increasingly return to work.

3 min read
American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, Covid relief federal economic relief package, Biden stimulus $1,400 payments or stimulus checks COVID-19 tax resource center. coronavirus tax policy and the coronavirus (covid-19)

How Would the Proposed $160 Billion in State and Local Aid Be Allocated?

A bipartisan coalition of Senators unveiled a $908 billion COVID-19 relief bill on Tuesday, which includes, among other provisions, $160 billion in additional aid to state and local governments. It is worth briefly exploring what this would mean, and the amounts of aid your state might expect.

5 min read
Remote work tax revenue implications digital nomad visas, digital nomads, tax incentives for remote workers. Deutsche Bank tax work-from-home tax Deutsche Bank privilege tax on remote work

No, We Don’t Need a Federal Work-From-Home Tax

A recent Deutsche Bank analysis proposes a federal work-from-home tax (“privilege tax”), which is designed to strip away the financial benefit of remote work.

5 min read

Top Rates in Each State Under Joe Biden’s Tax Plan

President Joe Biden’s tax plan would yield combined top marginal state and local rates in excess of 60 percent in three states: California, Hawaii, and New Jersey (also New York City).

4 min read

Arizona Proposition 208 Threatens Arizona’s Status as a Destination for Interstate Migration

Significantly raising the income tax through Proposition 208 will only serve to make Arizona less competitive, especially at a time when individuals and small businesses are already struggling. If Arizona is looking for a long-term way to increase education funding, it would do well to avoid overburdening struggling taxpayers and look toward more broad-based, stable sources of revenue.

5 min read
Illinois fair tax, Governor Pritzker

Twelve Things to Know About the “Fair Tax for Illinois”

Heading into Election Day, the Illinois legislature and Governor J.B. Pritzker (D) are trying to convince voters to scrap a key constitutional feature of Illinois’ tax system: a provision in the state constitution that prohibits a graduated-rate income tax.

18 min read
How have your state's tax revenues changed in FY 2020 compared to FY 2019? State revenue collections beat state revenue expectations in FY 2020 despite coronavirus pandemic and economic downturn

New Census Data Shows States Beat Revenue Expectations in FY 2020

State tax revenue collections were down 5.5 percent in FY 2020, driven by a dismal final quarter (April through June) as states began to feel the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. While these early losses are certainly not desirable, they are manageable and far better than many feared.

16 min read