Testimony: Kansas Sales Tax Modernization and Income and Property Tax Relief Considerations
Kansas policymakers’ proposal to expand the sales tax base is well-intentioned but could be designed more prudently.
Kansas policymakers’ proposal to expand the sales tax base is well-intentioned but could be designed more prudently.
They’re popular, highly visible, and marketed as tax relief—but research shows sales tax holidays are inefficient, create compliance headaches, and often miss the mark for the taxpayers they’re meant to help.
However well-intended they may be, sales tax holidays remain the same as they always have been—ineffective and inefficient.
16 min read
Alabama’s 2025 legislative session mostly demonstrates a commitment to pro-growth tax policies that enhance competitiveness and reduce compliance burdens.
4 min read
The five states with the highest average combined state and local sales tax rates are Louisiana (10.11 percent), Tennessee (9.61 percent), Arkansas (9.48 percent), Washington (9.47 percent), and Alabama (9.44 percent).
10 min read
Summer has arrived, and states are beginning to implement policy changes that were enacted during this year’s legislative session (or that have delayed effective dates or are being phased in over time).
28 min read
If Michiganders are interested in increasing the state’s spending on education or other priorities—and believe that current revenues are insufficient to support such an increase—there are several ways to do so without significantly affecting residents’ incentives to live and work in Michigan.
4 min read
Different taxes have different economic effects, so policymakers should always consider how tax revenue is raised and not just how much is raised.
4 min read
Florida’s latest property tax debate highlights the familiar challenge of prioritizing pro-growth tax policy while tackling rising property tax burdens.
6 min read
Developed countries raise tax revenue through individual income taxes, corporate income taxes, social insurance taxes, taxes on goods and services, and property taxes—the combination of which determines how distortionary or neutral a tax system is.
4 min read
According to the latest economic data from the US Census Bureau, the average per capita state and local tax burden is $7,109. However, collections vary widely by state, reflecting differences in tax rates and bases, natural resource endowments, the scale and scope of taxable economic activity in each state, and residents’ political preferences.
5 min read
Policymakers may consider a broader, more comprehensive property tax reform that creates a uniform system with effective levy limits to prevent unauthorized increases in property tax revenues and, in most cases, property tax bills.
4 min read
Montana’s 2025 legislative session has seen a flurry of property tax reform proposals, a response to the surge in property valuations in the state. Unfortunately, hasty decision-making can result in suboptimal policy outcomes.
6 min read
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
While Governor Moore’s tax plan is still being fiercely debated in Maryland, legislators have introduced several additional proposals—mostly aimed at increasing taxes on businesses—to generate revenue and address the state’s chronic budget deficit.
6 min read
Lawmakers should finish the work they have begun over the past few decades, tackling tax rates and structures to give the state a leg up in an era of enhanced competition.
84 min read
The variety of approaches to taxation among European countries creates a need to evaluate these systems relative to each other. For that purpose, we have developed the European Tax Policy Scorecard—a relative comparison of European countries’ tax systems.
55 min read
The Trump administration appears to be moving in a “reciprocal” policy direction despite the significant negative economic consequences for American consumers of across-the-board tariffs on goods coming into the US. However, the EU’s VAT system should not be used as a justification for retaliatory tariffs.
6 min read
Retail sales taxes are an essential part of most states’ revenue toolkits, responsible for 32 percent of state tax collections and 13 percent of local tax collections (24 percent of combined collections).
9 min read
Despite stark competitiveness differences, both New Jersey and Utah share a common goal this legislative session: reforming economic nexus rules that require out-of-state sellers and marketplace facilitators to collect and remit state sales taxes.
4 min read