Cigarette Smuggling Continues to Cost States Billions in Forgone Excise Tax Revenue
Cigarette tax avoidance costs states billions in forgone tax revenue and necessitates additional spending on enforcement of the ineffective policies.
6 min read
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Spain’s Tax Missteps Undermine Competitiveness
Spain’s central government could learn some valuable lessons from its regional governments and other European countries about sound tax policy.
7 min read
Proposed Head Tax, Social Media Tax, and Cloud Tax Increases Would Hurt Chicago
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s (D) 2026 budget includes a new employer head tax, a new tax on social media companies, and an increase in the “cloud tax,” among other proposed tax increases that would hurt employment and penalize innovation.
8 min read
Excise Taxes Are Most Harmful to the Poor
Excise taxes are regressive, and other alternatives are frequently available to incentivize behavior change.
6 min read
Trump Tariffs: Tracking the Economic Impact of the Trump Trade War
The Trump tariffs amount to an average tax increase per US household of $1,200 in 2025 and $1,600 in 2026.
44 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
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
Fiscal Forum: Future of the EU Tax Mix with Sérgio Vasques
Sean Bray interviewed Dr. Sérgio Vasques, Professor of Tax Law at the Catholic University of Lisbon and former Portuguese Secretary of State for Tax Affairs, about the future of the EU tax mix.
7 min read
The Best Way to Tax Alcohol
The most effective way to tax alcoholic beverages is to tax according to alcohol content, rather than beverage type.
5 min read
Fiscal Forum: Future of the EU Tax Mix with Dr. Miguel Correia
Sean Bray interviewed Professor of Tax Law at the Lisbon School of Law of the Catholic University of Portugal, Dr. Miguel Correia, about the future of the EU tax mix.
12 min read
What Should Be Done with Excise Tax Revenue?
Excise taxes generate more than two trillion dollars worldwide each year. While tying an excise tax revenue source to a specific expenditure program can be a best practice, the efficiency depends on the revenue source, the spending program, and why the excise tax was implemented in the first place.
6 min read
Could a Pigouvian Tax Help Solve Climate Change?
Taxing carbon emissions could leave decisions about reducing greenhouse gases to the market.
Catalonia’s Sugary Beverage Tax Hasn’t Improved Public Health
Public health organizations continue to push for excise taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs). Several governments around the globe already levy an excise tax on sugary beverages.
5 min read
An “Outsourcing Tax” Is a Misguided Approach to Global Business
Senator Bernie Moreno’s (R-OH) Halting International Relocation of Employment (HIRE) Act is a proposal to discourage US companies from outsourcing jobs and services abroad for products consumed by Americans.
7 min read
Excise Taxes and Fees on Wireless Services Up Again in 2025
Wireless consumers continue to be burdened with high taxes, fees, and government surcharges in many states and localities throughout the country.
14 min read
Fiscal Forum: Future of the EU Tax Mix with Dr. Jean-Philippe van West
Sean Bray interviews Dr. Jean-Philippe van West, Professor of International and European tax law at Vrije Universiteit Brussel, about the future of the EU tax mix.
10 min read
Beer Taxes in Europe, 2025
With much of the continent celebrating Oktoberfest, it is a great time to examine beer taxes across Europe. Hefty beer taxes increase the price consumers pay for their libations.
5 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
Poor Tax Policy Is Worsening Cigarette Smuggling in the EU
Countries and global organizations should recognize the harms caused by cigarette smuggling and the fact that this illicit trade is a direct result of exorbitant tax policies.
5 min read
One Big Beautiful Bill Act Makes the Individual Income Tax More Complex
While the OBBBA brings some stability by making many of the TCJA’s reforms permanent, it generally fails to reform the tax code’s accumulating complexity.
31 min read