Property Tax Relief & Reform
Lawmakers can constrain the growth of property taxes without creating new problems. But the details matter.
Featured Articles
Americans Are Moving to States with Lower Taxes and Sound Tax Structures
Millions of Americans, along with significant amounts of income and economic activity, are moving from high-tax states to those with more competitive tax systems and lower overall costs of living.
8 min read
The State Flat Tax Revolution: Where Things Stand Today
The past four years have brought significant focus on state income tax reform and relief, and with that, something of a flat tax revolution.
11 min read
Vehicle Miles Traveled Taxes Rollout across States
Gas tax revenues have decoupled from road expenses and have been unable to support road funding in recent years. As such, states nationwide are exploring ways to supplement or replace gas tax revenues.
8 min read
No Tax on Tips and Overtime Proposals Gain Steam Across States, but Remain a Bad Idea
The trend of tax exemptions on tips, overtime, and bonuses may sound like a win for workers, but it is a shortsighted fix with long-term drawbacks.
11 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
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
Modernizing State Sales Taxes: A Policymaker’s Guide
The sales tax is the second-largest source of state tax revenue and an important source of local tax revenue, but decades of base erosion threaten the tax’s share of overall revenue and have prompted years of countervailing rate increases.
72 min read
California Wealth Tax Proposal: Details & Analysis
Tax policy experts provide the latest details and analysis of the 2026 Billionaire Tax Act, a California ballot initiative that would impose a one-time tax of 5 percent on the net worth of the state’s billionaires.
All Related Articles
Evaluating Washington’s Proposed Millionaires’ Tax
Washington lawmakers are holding their first hearing on long-anticipated legislation that would create a new 9.9 percent tax on income over $1 million.
6 min read
The State Income Tax Divergence
Lawmakers in many states continue to pursue additional income tax relief, while their counterparts elsewhere pursue the opposite goal.
3 min read
Nonresident Income Tax Filing and Withholding Laws by State, 2026
One area of the tax code in which extreme complexity and low compliance go hand-in-hand—and where reform is desperately needed—is in states’ nonresident individual income tax filing and withholding laws.
9 min read
Expanded Sports Betting Legalization Would Generate Billions in Tax Revenue
If all 50 states established legal, open, statewide sports gaming markets, a 10 percent GGR tax would generate an additional $1.6 billion per year in tax revenue.
21 min read
A 9.25 Percent Top Income Tax Rate Would Drive Jobs, Investment, and Economic Opportunity Out of Michigan
Michigan’s proposed 5 percent income surtax on high earners, yielding a top marginal rate of 9.25 percent, is also a tax on the small businesses that employ nearly 2 million Michiganders.
25 min read
North Carolina Does Not Need Higher Local Taxes
As a result of state-level reforms, the expansion of the sales tax base, and rising property valuations, North Carolina’s local governments have seen remarkable revenue growth in recent years.
13 min read
State and Local Sales Tax Rates, 2026
Retail sales taxes are an essential part of most states’ revenue toolkits, responsible for nearly a quarter of combined state and local tax collections.
18 min read
State Tax Changes Taking Effect January 1, 2026
Forty-three states will ring in 2026 with notable tax changes. Eight states will see reduced individual income tax rates in the new year while four states will see reduced corporate income tax rates.
30 min read
Rental Car Taxes by State, 2025
Americans may be surprised to see just how much they are taxed for renting a car.
5 min read
How to Refuel the Highway Trust Fund
Examples from other countries and US states show that well-designed user fees can fund transportation infrastructure effectively.
19 min read
Massachusetts Proposition 2 ½ Is Working
With Proposition 2 ½, property taxes in Massachusetts are still high, but without it, property tax bills would have risen significantly more than they already have in the past 40 years.
12 min read
Movers and Shakers in the 2026 State Tax Competitiveness Index
In the spirit of change and improvement, it’s worth looking back to see which states have truly embraced tax competitiveness since 2020, and which ones have lagged behind.
6 min read
Sound Tax Policy Can Withstand Creative Destruction
Creative destruction—coined by famed economist Joseph Schumpeter—is the idea that new innovations disrupt and “destroy” existing economic structures as they create better and more efficient products and processes.
4 min read
What’s the Best Way to Limit Property Tax Bill Increases?
When property values soar, homeowners can end up paying significantly higher taxes for basically the same services. Thankfully, there is a solution.
The State Flat Tax Revolution: Where Things Stand Today
The past four years have brought significant focus on state income tax reform and relief, and with that, something of a flat tax revolution.
11 min read
Can We Replace the Property Tax?
With property tax bills on the rise, homeowners are searching for answers—and some even want to abolish the tax altogether. In this episode, we break down why property taxes are increasing, common but flawed solutions, and why the property tax remains an economically efficient revenue source.
There’s No Good Way to Pay for Property Tax Repeal
Backfilling forgone local property tax revenue through new state taxes is difficult because it dramatically shifts overall tax burdens, undermines local accountability, and cannot easily adjust for changing population mixes.
20 min read
Online Sports Betting Taxes by State, 2025
Legal sports betting has grown rapidly since the Supreme Court granted states the ability to establish online sports betting markets in Murphy vs. NCAA in 2018.
6 min read
Gas Taxes by State, 2025
California levies the highest tax on gasoline at 70.9 cents per gallon (cpg), followed by Illinois at 66.4 cpg and Washington at 59.0 cpg.
8 min read
Electric Vehicle Taxes by State, 2025
As the market share of electric vehicles (EVs) on the road grows, the gas tax’s ability to fund road projects and decrease traffic congestion erodes. Both federal and state real tax revenue per vehicle mile traveled has been on a steady decline for decades, creating a fiscal gap for road expenditures even as the demand for road infrastructure improvements has grown.
5 min read