Tracking the Impact of the Trump Tariffs & Trade War
The Trump tariffs have not meaningfully altered the trade balance and amount to an average tax increase per US household of $700 in 2026.
55 min read
The Tax Foundation is the world’s leading independent tax policy 501(c)(3) nonprofit. For over 85 years, our mission has remained the same: to improve lives through tax policies that lead to greater economic growth and opportunity.
Our Center for Federal Tax Policy, Center for State Tax Policy, and Center for Global Tax Policy each produce timely and high-quality research and analysis that influences the debate toward economically principled tax policies. Our experts are continuously analyzing the day’s most relevant tax policy topics and are relied upon routinely for presentations, testimony, and media appearances on tax issues spanning every level of government.
Likewise, providing journalists, taxpayers, and policymakers with basic data on taxes and spending has been a cornerstone of the Tax Foundation’s educational mission since its founding. As we wrote in our first edition of Facts & Figures in 1941, “Facts give a broader perspective; facts dissipate predilections and prejudices…[and are] an important step to meet the challenge presented by the broad problems of public finance.”
Featured Projects
2026 Tax Calculator: How the One Big Beautiful Bill Act’s Tax Changes Will Affect You
How will recent federal tax changes affect you?
4 min read
2026 State Tax Competitiveness Index
The State Tax Competitiveness Index enables policymakers, taxpayers, and business leaders to gauge how their states’ tax systems compare. While there are many ways to show how much state governments collect in taxes, the Index evaluates how well states structure their tax systems and provides a road map for improvement.
122 min read
Property Tax Relief & Reform
Lawmakers can constrain the growth of property taxes without creating new problems. But the details matter.
FAQ: The One Big Beautiful Bill, Explained
Our experts explain how this major tax legislation may affect you and how policymakers can better improve the tax code.
24 min read
State Tax Implications of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act
For Congress, work on the One Big Beautiful Bill Act is done. But in state capitols, the work has not yet begun. Many of the tax changes in the federal reconciliation act flow through to state tax codes—automatically in some states, and subject to an update in states’ Internal Revenue Code conformity date in others.
39 min read
State Individual Income Taxes on Nonresidents: A Primer
As a rule, an individual’s income can be taxed both by the state in which the taxpayer resides and by the state in which the taxpayer’s income is earned.
52 min read
US Taxpayers to See a Nearly $2,300 Average Tax Cut in 2026 Under the Big Beautiful Bill
Notably, the OBBBA makes permanent the individual tax changes first put in place by the TCJA, which avoids a tax hike on an estimated 62 percent of tax filers in 2026.
4 min read
Facts & Figures 2026: How Does Your State Compare?
Facts & Figures 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.
2 min read
International Tax Competitiveness Index 2025
While there are many factors that affect a country’s economic performance, taxes play an important role. A well-structured tax code is easy for taxpayers to comply with and can promote economic development while raising sufficient revenue for a government’s priorities.
93 min read
Summary of the Latest Federal Income Tax Data, Tax Year 2023
New IRS data shows the US federal income tax system continues to be progressive as high-income taxpayers pay the highest average income tax rates. Average tax rates for all income groups remain lower after the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA).
6 min read
2025 European Tax Policy Scorecard
The variety of approaches to taxation among European countries creates a need to evaluate these systems relative to each other. For that purpose, we have developed the European Tax Policy Scorecard—a relative comparison of European countries’ tax systems.
55 min readAll Related Articles
1340 Results
Sales Tax Holidays by State, 2018
Sales tax holidays are not sound tax policy as they create complexities for all involved, while inserting the political process into consumer decisions.
45 min read
Sales Taxes on Soda, Candy, and Other Groceries, 2018
When policymakers get in the habit of handpicking goods for which the sales tax does or does not apply, the tax base simultaneously erodes and becomes more complex.
25 min read
To What Extent Does Your State Rely on Sales Taxes?
Sales taxes represent a major source of state and local revenue. Click to see how much your state relies on sales taxes and for a state-by-state comparison.
3 min read
The Impact of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act by Congressional District
A look at the data & methodology behind the Tax Foundation’s Mapping 2018 Tax Reform project which compares average 2018 tax cuts by congressional district.
3 min read
How Much Does Your State Collect in Excise Taxes?
Excise taxes make up a relatively small portion of state and local tax collections—about 11 percent—but per capita collections vary widely from state to state.
3 min read
State and Local Individual Income Tax Collections Per Capita
On average, state and local governments collected $1,144 per person from individual income taxes, but collections varied widely from state to state.
2 min read
Beer Taxes by State, 2018
3 min read
Capital Cost Recovery across the OECD, 2018
One hundred percent expensing for short-life business investments was a great start but needs to be enacted on a permanent basis for it to have an impact on long-term decision-making.
15 min read
How Well-Funded are Pension Plans in Your State?
More than half the states have pension plans that are less than two-thirds funded, and five states have pension plans that are less than 50 percent funded.
2 min read
Average Per Capita Property Taxes: How Does Your State Compare?
While property taxes inevitably draw the ire of some residents living in high-tax jurisdictions, property values are a relatively good indicator of the value of local services received, such as well-funded roads and schools. At the same time, good local public services can make municipalities more desirable, thereby increasing residential property value.
3 min read
Recreational Marijuana Taxes by State, 2018
As public opinion increasingly favors the legalization of recreational marijuana, a growing number of states must determine how to structure marijuana taxes.
3 min read
Tax Freedom Day 2018 is April 19th
Tax Freedom Day is the day when the nation as a whole has earned enough money to pay its total tax bill for the year. In 2018, Tax Freedom Day falls on April 19th, 109 days into the year.
5 min read
Vaping Taxes by State, 2018
A variety of taxing methods and a wide range of rates indicates that there is little consensus on the best way to levy vapor taxes in the U.S.
3 min read