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Individual Income and Payroll Taxes

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State tax trends 2026, unites states tax policy

State Tax Trends to Watch in 2026

State lawmakers around the country have begun their legislative sessions, and many are considering tax reform. This piece highlights some of the areas on which they are likely to focus.

4 min read
Big Beautiful Bill Tax Plan and Senate GOP Tax Plan: Details & Analysis of 2025 Trump Tax Cuts

One Big Beautiful Bill Act Tax Policies: Details and Analysis

Our analysis of the major tax provisions included in the OBBBA finds it will increase long-run GDP by 0.7 percent. The major tax provisions will reduce federal tax revenue by nearly $5.2 trillion between 2025 and 2034, on a conventional basis.

12 min read
2026 State Income Tax Trends and Rates Decreasing Diverging High Tax and Low Tax States

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
Federal payroll taxes

The Federal Payroll Tax: A Primer

With changes to payroll taxes likely to be part of a toolkit for reform, both policymakers and the public would benefit from understanding how the payroll tax works, who pays it, and its impact on the economy.

21 min read
Federal tobacco tax proposal state taxes Build Back Better Act Biden American Families Plan proposal to tax unrealized capital gains at death, taxing unrealized gains death proposal, capital gains at death policies tax refund tax refunds tax cut 2018 tax season tax filing

Tax Refunds and the One Big Beautiful Bill Act

When taxpayers file their 2025 tax returns in 2026, many will see larger refunds than in recent years. That’s due to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), which reduced individual income taxes for 2025 by an estimated $129 billion.

4 min read
California wealth tax proposal California 2026 Billionaire Tax Act CA wealth tax

The Proposed California Wealth Tax Is Far Higher than 5 Percent

The 2026 Billionaire Tax Act, a California ballot initiative, would ostensibly impose a one-time tax of 5 percent on the net worth of the state’s billionaires. Due, however, to aggressive design choices and possible drafting errors, the actual rate on taxpayers’ net worth could be dramatically higher.

18 min read
Sources of personal income data personal income tax pass through business

Sources of Personal Income, Tax Year 2022

As policymakers consider reforms to the individual income tax, understanding the types of income that make up the individual income tax base can help them understand the trade-offs of different changes to the tax system.

8 min read
Tax systems of Scandinavian countries, Denmark, Sweden, Norway

How Scandinavian Countries Pay for Their Government Spending

Scandinavian countries are well known for their broad social safety nets and their public funding of services such as universal health care, higher education, parental leave, and child and elderly care. High levels of government spending naturally require high levels of taxation. So, how do these countries raise their tax revenues?

7 min read