Summary of the Latest Federal Income Tax Data, Tax Year 2020
The latest IRS data shows that the U.S. federal individual income tax continued to be progressive, borne primarily by the highest income earners.
43 min read
Featured Articles
What’s Missing from the Tax Burden Debate
When we discuss tax policy, the conversation inevitably turns to who pays, who should pay, and how much they should pay. Unfortunately, the tax burdens debate is often missing a key point: how income transfer programs—like Social Security or Medicaid—affect households’ tax burdens.
State and Local Tax Burdens, Calendar Year 2022
Tax burdens rose across the country as pandemic-era economic changes caused taxable income, activities, and property values to rise faster than net national product. Tax burdens in 2020, 2021, and 2022 are all higher than in any other year since 1978.
24 min readAll Related Articles
Why Are the Individual Tax Cuts Expiring?
The TCJA improved the U.S. tax code, but the meandering voyage of its passing and the compromises made to get it into law show the challenges of the legislative process.
6 min read
Taxocracy Tales with Scott Hodge
All taxes tell a story, and today we’ll explore how taxes influenced Bob Dylan’s decision to sell his music catalog, how the “chicken tax” reshaped the auto industry, and how the historic “tax on air and light” had profound effects on architecture and living conditions.
State Income Taxes and the 2024 NFL Draft Class
Here’s how much NFL players can expect to pay in state and local income taxes—to all relevant states—at multiple salary levels, by team.
7 min read
Testimony: International Tax Avoidance
Lawmakers should aim for policies that support investment and hiring in the United States and refining anti-avoidance measures to improve administrability and lower compliance costs.
Survey Says Tax Confusion
All Americans are affected by the tax code—but do they understand the tax code?
New National Tax Literacy Poll Highlights Need for Better Tax Education
Despite taxes playing a significant role in personal finances and being levied on a sizable portion of the U.S. population, most Americans are not just unhappy with the current tax code but also do not understand it.
4 min read
Vermont Tax Proposals Would Leave the State and Vermonters Behind
With proposals to adopt the nation’s highest corporate income tax, second-highest individual income tax, and most aggressive treatment of foreign earnings, as well as to implement an unusually high tax on property transfers, Vermont lawmakers have no shortage of options for raising taxes dramatically.
7 min read
Portugal’s Personal Income Tax System: High Top Rate, Threshold, and Tax Credits
Portugal’s personal income tax system levies high tax rates on an unusually narrow set of high earners, striking a poor balance between earnings incentives and revenue contributions.
4 min read
Facts & Figures 2024: 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
Blog
Short FormDoes the Federal Tax Code Privilege the Rich?
The federal income tax drives the tax code’s progressivity. In 2021, taxpayers with higher incomes paid much higher average income tax rates than taxpayers with lower incomes.
4 min read
Considering Tax Reform Options for 2025 (and Beyond)
Given that U.S. debt is roughly the size of our annual economic output, policymakers will face many tough fiscal choices in the coming years. The good news is there are policies that both support a larger economy and avoid adding to the debt.
6 min read
Biden’s Budget Blueprint
In the context of the 2024 election year, what does President Biden’s 2025 budget proposal signify regarding his strategies and priorities as he seeks reelection? And how could these proposals shape the overall landscape of this election cycle?
Caitlin Clark Pays Income Taxes on NIL. It’s Time to Tax the NCAA, too.
If student athletes are taxed on their earnings, it’s time the NCAA should be taxed on theirs.
Summary of the Latest Federal Income Tax Data, Tax Year 2021
The 2021 tax year was the fourth since the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) made many significant, but temporary, changes to the individual income tax code to lower tax rates, widen brackets, increase the standard deduction and child tax credit, and more.
9 min read
Taxes and Migration: New Evidence from Academic Research
Do taxes affect individuals’ decisions regarding where to live and work? Can high taxes cause the outmigration of wealthy individuals?
5 min read
Tax Calculator: How the TCJA’s Expiration Will Affect You
Unless Congress acts, Americans are in for a tax hike in 2026.
3 min read
Vermont Lawmakers Consider Harmful Taxes on the Wealthy
Vermont lawmakers are considering the adoption of two new taxes on high earners, which proponents have branded “wealth taxes.”
4 min read
Sustainably Reforming Social Security and Medicare Will Need More than Just Tax Hikes
Creative options including changes in Social Security benefits growth for higher earners and reforms to how Medicare compensates for health services should be on the table, along with broad-based and well-structured tax reforms.
6 min read
Wealth Taxes in Europe, 2024
Only three European countries levy a net wealth tax—Norway, Spain, and Switzerland. France and Italy levy wealth taxes on selected assets.
4 min read
State Individual Income Tax Rates and Brackets, 2024
Individual income taxes are a major source of state government revenue, accounting for more than a third of state tax collections. How do income taxes compare in your state?
8 min read