How Tax Policy Fared on the Ballot in 2026
In red and blue states alike, voters showed wariness toward novel changes to the tax code, with two notable exceptions.
3 min read
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UK Autumn Budget Prioritizes Short-Term Relief over Long-Term Growth
The UK’s 2026 Autumn Budget largely favors short-term relief over growth, highlighting the need for pro-growth reforms such as replacing the Stamp Duty Land Tax with annual property or land taxes.
8 min read
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Short FormEconomic Education Includes Addressing Tax Confusion
Economics isn’t just a course with supply and demand graphs and a quirky usage of “guns and butter.” It’s a discipline focused on incentives and responses, and we can see its impact all around us, shaping our world and our choices.
3 min read
Congress Has a Chance to Improve the Taxpayer Experience in 2026
The Senate recently passed the Taxpayer Assistance and Service Act, which contains 65 provisions to improve tax administration and the IRS.
4 min read
New Research Finds That Revenue-Maximizing Top Tax Rate Likely Lower Than Previous Estimates
A new paper shows raising top income tax rates on the current tax base may not yield as much revenue as previously estimated, due to opportunities to shift income to different tax bases within the tax code.
5 min read
Property Tax Relief on the Ballot: Three Approaches, One Clear Winner
This November, states across the country are asking voters to consider changes to their state constitutions to address the burden of rising property taxes.
7 min read
A “Token Tax” Could Kill the Promise of AI
If we want to ensure that AI raises economic growth, we shouldn’t be pursuing tax policies that are stuck in the past and represent some of the worst ideas from the early internet age.
How Much Does the US Government Lose to Tax Fraud?
While the government will never close the tax gap or fully eliminate tax fraud, lawmakers and the IRS can institute several reforms to reduce the gap, including simplifying the tax code, increasing third-party information reporting, and coordinating anti-fraud efforts.
7 min read
Could an Employer Compensation Tax Save Social Security?
With Social Security insolvency rapidly approaching and policymakers exploring changes to benefits and taxation, Congress could look to base-broadening reforms like the ECT as a guide for how to think about taxing compensation and broadening the tax base.
4 min read
Cigarette Taxes and Cigarette Smuggling by State, 2024
Cigarette smuggling is costly for states. We estimate that the forgone revenue from smuggled cigarettes totaled more than $4.6 billion in 2024. California lost nearly $1.4 billion in cigarette excise tax collections, and New York missed out on more than $1.2 billion.
5 min read
Spain’s Tax Competitiveness Has Declined Since 2018
Under Spain’s current Social Democratic government, the country has fallen from 27th to 35th (out of 38 OECD countries) in the International Tax Competitiveness Index.
8 min read
What Is Taxable Income? How It’s Calculated for Tax Filing
Want to know how much you’ll owe during tax filing season? Then you need to know your taxable income.
In Wyoming, Are Two Homestead Exemptions Enough?
No one enjoys paying taxes, but the property tax serves an important purpose, and Wyoming has already implemented significant property tax relief. Proposition 1 would undercut local finances to a degree that would likely force reliance on worse taxes (local or state) and prompt spending cuts that reduce homeowners’ property values.
5 min read
Options to Reform the Tax Treatment of Exempt Hospitals
Nearly half of all hospitals are exempt from paying US corporate income taxes. As healthcare spending rises, lawmakers have questioned whether hospitals are providing as much in community benefits as they derive from tax exemptions.
11 min read
2026 Economics Nobel Laureate Robert Hall Helped Lay Foundation for Pro-Growth Tax Reform
Hall’s research helped economists understand how taxes distort investment decisions, while his work with Rabushka shows how to minimize those distortions. Although the US remains far from a pure consumption tax, Hall’s work informs efforts to reduce the tax burden on investment, improve neutrality, and promote long-run economic growth.
3 min read
Amendment 3: A Restructuring of Florida’s Local Tax Base
Florida has long maintained one of the nation’s most competitive state tax codes, but a fundamental change proposed by Amendment 3 could undermine that competitiveness.
30 min read
International Tax Competitiveness Index 2026
While there are many factors that affect a country’s economic performance, taxes play an important role. A well-structured tax code is easy for taxpayers to comply with and can promote economic development while raising sufficient revenue for a government’s priorities.
72 min read
The California Billionaire Tax’s Ever-Shifting Goalposts
Wealth taxes have been a failure everywhere they’ve been tried, which may be why advocates for the California amendment are saying this is a new frontier. But the countries that have tried this gamble know the frontier well, and they’ve left it in the dust.
Washington Voters Will Decide Whether to Keep or Reject an Income Tax on High Earners
Washington’s new income tax on high earners doesn’t take effect until 2028, but it is already generating a lot of activity. A measure on the ballot this November, Initiative 645, would reverse the legislature’s decision, preventing the new tax from taking effect.
5 min read
Spain’s Transformation After a Decade of Fiscal Competition
The 2026 Regional Tax Competitiveness Index for Spain highlights a growing divergence between regions that have embraced tax reform and those whose tax systems have remained largely unchanged.
7 min read