Taxes feature prominently in the Biden administration’s fiscal year 2025 budget. They will continue to be a point of contention in the presidential election, with...

As states navigate an uncertain fiscal future , a lot of budget commentators will justifiably note that nearly every state cut taxes during the last few revenue boom years. But most states also stocked a lot of money into their savings accounts over the past three years – and this may help them weather forthcoming budget storms.

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan (D) recently proposed raising the city’s tax on vacant or undeveloped land while reducing taxes on buildings by 30 percent. The...

The Internal Revenue Service does not ask tax filers about their race and ethnicity . But the US tax code can still widen racial income...

Although last year’s temporary expansion of the child tax credit (CTC) dramatically reduced child poverty across the US, government outreach efforts struggled to connect immigrant families with their tax benefits.

Thanks to surging tax revenues and an unprecedented infusion of federal aid, many states cut taxes over the past two years by lowering individual income tax rates, expanding tax credits, or sending one-time checks to residents. But there is another way states can use these funds: reduce or eliminate some local criminal legal fines and fees.

While the federal income tax system may appear “colorblind” or race-neutral to some, it can mitigate or exacerbate racial inequities . Unfortunately, the IRS does...

Most of us dread filing tax returns—it’s too complicated, too confusing, and often too expensive. The Free File Program eased some of those burdens for...

If you have ever been issued a speeding ticket, you probably grumbled about the government using you as a piggy bank. In our new research...

While advancing racial equity has been a top priority for the Biden Administration , mayors were attempting to tackle unequal access to wealth and opportunity...

The federal government and many state and local governments are placing equity at the forefront of their pandemic relief efforts. But to effectively follow through...

The expanded and fully refundable child tax credit (CTC) will lift millions of children out of poverty in 2021. But many very low-income children may...

On his first day in office, President Biden signed an executive order acknowledging the toll of structural racism in the United States and initiating a...

Tax policies are commonly viewed as race-neutral or “colorblind”— simply because information on race or ethnicity is not reported on tax returns or explicitly referenced...

The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) was considered essential to last year’s bipartisan COVID-19 relief packages, and many policymakers initially hailed the CARES Act version as...

The Federal Reserve Board’s 2019 Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF) helps us understand US wealth disparities prior to the COVID-19 pandemic that has disproportionately harmed...

Say you came into possession of some illegal drugs. What’s your next move? According to some states, you should immediately pay the state’s tax on...

For cities, the COVID-19 economy is turning many winners into losers.

Some evidence suggests that fines and fees, much like policing, are also closely intertwined with issues of structural racism.

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act grants massive tax relief for business losses, but most of the benefits will be reaped by...

At a recent forum on infrastructure, Democratic presidential candidates Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar, and Tom Steyer discussed their proposals to bolster spending on...

In last night’s State of the Union address , President Trump declared, “Our economy is the best it has ever been.” And, he added, “If...

Because the IRS does not ask for a tax filer’s race or ethnicity on tax forms, examining the relationship between race and the tax system...

In fiscal year 2020, Georgia will spend nearly $500 million in film and television tax credits in return for the promise of new jobs and...

No, The US Is Not Overtaxed. Despite what you may have heard, Americans are taxed less than residents of almost any other major developed country...