State Sales Tax Breadth and Reliance, Fiscal Year 2020
By failing to keep pace with modern consumption patterns, sales taxes have become less neutral, less equitable, and less economically efficient over time.
16 min read
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Florida and Missouri, the Last Wayfair Holdouts, Consider Remote Sales Tax Bills
Two states—Florida and Missouri—have held back on online sales taxes thus far following the landmark 2018 Supreme Court case, South Dakota v. Wayfair. Now, lawmakers in both states have filed bills to address the issue this session.
4 min read
Thirteen Priorities for Pro-Growth Tax Modernization in Nebraska
We identify 13 of the highest tax reform priorities Nebraska policymakers should consider in their effort to create a more growth-friendly tax code. We also offer a sample comprehensive tax reform plan to show one way policymakers could begin tackling these objectives over the next couple legislative sessions, with further progress to be made in the years ahead.
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To What Extent Does Your State Rely on Sales Taxes?
Consumption taxes (like sales taxes) are more economically neutral than taxes on capital and income because they target only current consumption. Consumption taxes are generally more stable than income taxes in economic downturns as well.
3 min read
Consumption Tax Policies in OECD Countries
Despite the potential of consumption taxes as a neutral and efficient source of tax revenues, many governments have implemented policies that are unduly complex and have poorly designed tax bases that exclude many goods or services from taxation, or tax them at reduced rates.
40 min read
State and Local Sales Tax Rates, 2021
While many factors influence business location and investment decisions, sales taxes are something within lawmakers’ control that can have immediate impacts.
12 min read
State Tax Changes Effective January 1, 2021
Twenty-six states and the District of Columbia had notable tax changes take effect on January 1, 2021. Because most states’ legislative sessions were cut short in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, fewer tax changes were adopted in 2020 than in a typical year.
24 min read
Gross Receipt Taxes Become Part of New Jersey’s Recreational Marijuana Legalization
By the time marijuana is sold to a consumer, local taxes could be applied four different times—by one or more localities.
5 min read
State Tax Collections Down 4.4 Percent Through September, While Local Tax Collections Rise
Combined state and local tax collections were down only $7.6 billion across the period, representing a total state and local tax revenue decline of 0.7 percent compared to the first nine months of 2019.
6 min read
Taxes and New York’s Fiscal Crisis: Evaluating Revenue Proposals to Close the State’s Budget Gap
Our new study provides a 360-degree assessment of New York’s budget crisis, analyzes proposed revenue options, and offers solutions to raise revenue without driving more taxpayers out of the state or undoing recent positive reforms
106 min read
Ranking Sales Taxes on the 2021 State Business Tax Climate Index
An ideal sales tax applies to a broad base of final consumer goods and services, with few exemptions, and is levied at a low rate. Broad-based, low-rate tax structures minimize tax-induced economic distortions that can occur when people change their purchasing behavior because of tax differences.
3 min read
New Jersey May Be the First State Without an Excise Tax Levy on Recreational Marijuana
New Jersey’s tax design adds another element to the ongoing experiment with legal recreational marijuana in the states.
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Comparing Europe’s Tax Systems: Consumption Taxes
How do consumption tax codes compare among European OECD countries? Explore our new map to see how consumption tax systems in Europe compare.
2 min read
Results of 2020 State and Local Tax Ballot Measures
See the results of the most notable state and local tax ballot measures during Election 2020 with our curated resource page.
11 min read
Tax Treatment of Groceries, Candy, and Soda Can Get Tricky
Even in 2020, jack-o’-lanterns and fake skeletons have popped up in neighborhoods as they do every October, although Halloween may look and play out differently this time around.
4 min read
Zoom Calls Not a Taxing Matter
Zoom Video Communications announced that, come November, the company will start collecting and remitting local utility and communications taxes in California, New York, Maryland, and Virginia.
5 min read
How Many Sales Tax Jurisdictions Does Your State Have?
Following the Wayfair decision, states’ move to tax online sales has increased the importance of simplicity in sales tax systems, as sellers now have to deal with differing regulations in multiple states. There are over 11,000 standard sales tax jurisdictions in the United States in 2020
2 min read
Tax Modernization: A Key to Economic Recovery and Growth in Nebraska
A competitive tax code has never been more important, and these tax policy improvements can both strengthen the short-term economic recovery and promote long-term economic growth in Nebraska.
26 min read
State and Local Tax Ballot Measures to Watch on Election Day 2020
Here are the state tax ballot measures to watch on Election Day 2020. Explore the most notable 2020 state tax ballot measures in 15 states.
4 min read
Voters in Four States to Vote on Recreational Marijuana
Legalizing recreational marijuana is a hot topic in many states where the state budgets are in disarray because of the coronavirus pandemic and new revenue sources are being sought.
7 min read