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Jared Walczak Tax Foundation
Expert

Jared Walczak

Vice President of State Projects

Jared Walczak is Vice President of State Projects at the Tax Foundation. He is the lead researcher on the annual State Business Tax Climate Index and Location Matters, and has authored or coauthored tax reform guides on Alaska, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Nevada, New  York, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

Jared’s work is regularly cited in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Politico, AP, and many other prominent national and state outlets.

He previously served as legislative director to a member of the Senate of Virginia and as policy director for a statewide campaign, and consulted on research and policy development for a number of candidates and elected officials. In his free time, Jared enjoys hiking and has a goal of visiting all 63 national parks.

Written Works

state flat tax trend and state flat income taxes 2024

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.

10 min read
2024 sales taxes including 2024 sales tax rates 2024 state and local sales tax rates

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).

9 min read
Details and analysis of the Virginia Governor Youngkin Tax Plan. See more on Glenn Youngkin tax plan.

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.

6 min read
State and local tax collections per capita by state FY 2021

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.

4 min read
Jeff Bezos Move Undercuts Proposed Washington State Wealth Tax

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.

3 min read
2024 State Business Tax Climate Index

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.

111 min read
West Virginia tax relief plan includes Governor Justice tax cut and West Virginia tax reform proposals

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.

4 min read
2023 local income taxes by state and municipality 2023 local income tax rates and local taxes or local income tax data by county

Local Income Taxes: A Primer

Most states avoid municipal income taxes for good reason. These taxes are more volatile and less economically competitive than other forms of taxation available to local governments, and add substantial complexity for governments and taxpayers alike.

23 min read