Tax Policy Center

Sam Brownback

: TaxVox

Governors Talk Taxes in Their State of the State Addresses

It’s difficult to predict where states will end up on tax policy this year given last year’s budget drama and this year’s new federal tax...
February 16, 2018Richard C. Auxier
: TaxVox

What Congressional Tax Cutters Can Learn From Kansas

As the House and Senate rush to complete a tax bill that will do little to improve the economy, it is worth looking at another...
November 29, 2017William G. Gale
State and Local Issues: TaxVox

What the Kansas Tax Cut About-Face Means

The tax cut that Kansas Governor Sam Brownback hailed in 2012 as “a shot of adrenaline into the heart of the Kansas economy” has been...
June 14, 2017William G. Gale
State and Local Issues: TaxVox

The Brownback Tax Cut Experiment Ends in Kansas

Just as President Trump is ramping up his push for a major tax cut that he believes will pay for itself through faster economic growth,...
June 7, 2017Howard Gleckman
: Daily Deduction

Tax Fraud, Tax Cut Flaws, and Tax Incentives

On the Hill. Today the Senate Finance Committee will consider a bill to prevent identity theft and tax refund fraud, and the House Ways & Means Committee will mark up trade legislation . Yesterday the Senate voted to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration, and included the passenger
April 20, 2016Renu Zaretsky
: Daily Deduction

Raising or Cutting Taxes: Go Big or Go Home

Did Jeb Bush promise his own tax reform? Kinda. With many other GOP presidential hopefuls vowing bold tax reform, observers were wondering whether the former Florida governor would follow suit in yesterday’s announcement speech. He didn’t. Instead, he merely pledged to “think big,” and promised “a
June 16, 2015Renu Zaretsky
: TaxVox

It depends on what your definition of “pledge” is…

WWND: Louisiana lawmakers ask Grover Norquist to weigh in on Governor Bobby Jindal’s tax plan. Eleven members of the state’s House sent a letter to the head of Americans for Tax Reform. They call the SAVE tax credit —Jindal’s proposed tax credit for a non-existent student fee—a precedent that would
June 9, 2015Renu Zaretsky
: TaxVox

Revenues and Rate Hikes: What’s an Elected Official to Do?

There’s a revenue surge in California. The state is exceeding its 2013 tax collections and beating 2014 forecasts. The Franchise Tax Board netted $7.6 billion in personal income taxes between April 1 and this past Monday. It collected $6 billion during the same period in 2014. The state’s school
April 22, 2015Renu Zaretsky
: TaxVox

The Senate Keeps Working...

Still on deck in the Senate: It is expected this week to renew dozens of expired tax breaks, including tax cuts for business research, wind power, and foreign profits. It’s worth remembering that if a $42 billion package like this gets passed every year , the federal deficit could grow by $800
December 16, 2014Renu Zaretsky
State and Local Issues: TaxVox

Did Tax Hikes Doom Governors? Did Tax Cuts Elect Them?

At first glance, the message was pretty clear: If you were a governor who cut taxes, you probably got reelected on Tuesday. If you were a governor who raised taxes (or even a candidate who worked for one) you probably lost. It was true in deep red states like Kansas where, against all odds, Sam
November 6, 2014Howard Gleckman