Tax Neutrality: Balancing Priorities
Neutral tax codes don’t play favorites or try to influence personal or business decisions but stick to what they’re best at – raising sufficient revenue through low rates and a broad base.
Neutral tax codes don’t play favorites or try to influence personal or business decisions but stick to what they’re best at – raising sufficient revenue through low rates and a broad base.
Former President Trump floated the possibility of entirely replacing the federal income tax with new tariffs. He also raised other ideas like eliminating taxes on tipped income and lowering the corporate tax rate by one percentage point.
8 min readTo stay competitive in an increasingly mobile post-pandemic world, states and localities must learn from the tax policy successes and failures of their neighbors and communities across the nation.
27 min readThe Tax Cuts and Jobs Act’s changes to family tax policy serve as a reminder to avoid looking at tax reform provisions in a vacuum.
5 min readLawmakers should see 2025 as an opportunity to consider more fundamental tax reforms. While the TCJA addressed some of the deficiencies of the tax code, it by no means addressed them all.
8 min readTo make the taxation of labor more efficient, policymakers should understand the inputs into the tax wedge, and taxpayers should understand how their tax burden funds government services.
4 min readGovernments often justify higher tax burdens with more extensive public services. However, the cost of these services can be more than half of an average worker’s salary.
16 min readTo make sound financial decisions and support better tax policy, taxpayers should understand the taxes they face. Unfortunately, most U.S. taxpayers do not know or are unsure of basic tax concepts.
6 min readUniversal savings accounts would boost savings for low-income households, allowing them to better withstand economic shocks, such as pandemics and recessions, and plan for major expenses, such as an expanded family, education, and housing needs.
36 min readThe recent push to increase taxes on the wealthy has gained significant traction across Europe. This report highlights the obstacles and complex interplay between tax policy and economic behavior, suggesting that simply raising tax rates on the wealthy might not yield the intended social benefits.
42 min readWith a robust surplus and plenty saved for a rainy day, Kansas can afford substantial tax relief, but not all tax relief is created equal.
7 min readThe Moore case could have important impacts on tax policy.
5 min readFor U.S. policymakers looking to encourage greater saving and financial security, particularly among low- and moderate-income households facing serious affordability challenges, the experiences in both the UK and Canada indicate that universal savings accounts are an effective policy tool to help reach that goal.
4 min readWhen Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese made their WNBA preseason debuts, basketball fans across the country tuned in. But there’s another audience that also follows along: state revenue officials, who will expect their piece of the pie each time these star athletes—and their teammates—come to town.
3 min readPolicymakers should have two priorities in the upcoming economic policy debates: a larger economy and fiscal responsibility. Principled, pro-growth tax policy can help accomplish both.
21 min readAt the end of 2025, the individual tax provisions in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) expire all at once. Without congressional action, most taxpayers will see a notable tax increase relative to current policy in 2026.
4 min readTwo bills in Georgia will lower the flat individual income tax rate and align the corporate income tax rate with the individual income tax rate.
4 min readThe 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 readAll 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.
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