Illinois’ New Social Media Tax Is a Shambles
Illinois plans to impose a complicated, legally fraught new social media tax based on a few pages of confused, contradictory, and almost laughably incomplete legislative text embedded in the new budget.
10 min read
The Real November Ballot Question: What Price Are Floridians Willing to Pay to “Save Their Homes?”
While a proposal to phase down property taxes on the primary residences of Florida homeowners may grab headlines, it risks severely undermining the competitiveness of Florida’s overall tax structure and leaving the state worse off.
7 min read
Targeting High Earners is Misguided and Will Worsen States’ Fiscal Positions
Policies that increase the tax burden on high earners makes states less competitive, increase revenue volatility, discourage investment, and risk accelerating outmigration of talent and capital. Many top-earners are already leaving high-tax states for Florida, North Carolina, and other low-tax jurisdictions.
9 min read
Don’t Blame the Messenger—the CBO—for Our Current Fiscal Problems
Publicly held debt is projected to rise to a new record high of 106 percent of GDP within the next four years and continue to rise to 120 percent by 2036 and 175 percent by 2056.
8 min read
Oregon’s Recycling and Extended Producer Responsibility Programs Experience Rocky Rollout
Oregon’s Extended Producer Responsibility program to incentivize recycling does so with a complicated and unprincipled series of regulations, including confidentially determined tax rates on various materials derived from a revenue goal.
8 min read
Illinois Proposes Fixing Alcohol Taxes by Breaking Them Again
Alcohol taxes in Illinois have been broken for decades, and the state is now considering a “fix” that moves policy in the wrong direction.
6 min read
We Already Have a Windfall Profits Tax. It’s Called the Corporate Income Tax.
Military action around the Strait of Hormuz has increased global oil prices. In response, policymakers around the world have put forward proposals targeting oil and gas producers who are seeing profits increase in the short run from the spike in prices.
5 min read
Tax Trigger Happy: Design Hits and Misses in Georgia, South Carolina, and West Virginia
A well-designed tax trigger can be a highly valuable tool for lawmakers seeking both tax reform and revenue stability. States should embrace established baselines adjusted for inflation, use collections instead of projections as benchmarks, and prioritize contributions to their rainy day funds.
7 min read
Arkansas Cuts Income Tax Rates for the Fourth Time in Four Years
During a recent special session called by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R), Arkansas policymakers cut the state’s top individual and corporate income tax rates, continuing Arkansas’s years-long tax reform streak and making the Razorback State one of five states to cut income taxes so far in 2026.
5 min read
Federal Gas Tax Holiday? Suspending the Gas Tax Is a Mistake
In response to surging gas prices, President Trump and several lawmakers have proposed suspending the federal gas tax via a gas tax holiday. Gas tax holidays have appeal across the political aisle, but suspending the federal gas tax is a uniquely ill-suited policy for addressing rising prices.
3 min read