Tax Policy Center

state and local governments

State and Local Issues: TaxVox

Public Safety or Speed Traps? The Conflicts of Interest Behind Fines and Fees

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...
January 13, 2022Aravind BoddupalliLivia Mucciolo
State and Local Issues: TaxVox

Congress Needs to Understand State Tax Revenue Declines When Drafting COVID-19 Legislation

Aid for state and local governments remains a sticking point in Congressional deliberations over additional relief to address the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic...
December 10, 2020Lucy DadayanKim S. Rueben
State and Local Issues: TaxVox

Fines and Forfeitures and Racial Disparities

Some evidence suggests that fines and fees, much like policing, are also closely intertwined with issues of structural racism.
August 14, 2020Sarah CalameAravind Boddupalli
State and Local Issues: TaxVox

Lights Flashing, Sirens Blaring: State and Local Governments Need Federal Aid

Congress is nowhere near an agreement on how much additional federal aid to send to state and local governments. It’s been a worrying situation for months. Now, we should be alarmed.
August 5, 2020Renu Zaretsky
: TaxVox

Will COVID-19 Cause A Decline In Property Taxes?

The COVID-19 pandemic is driving a sharp decline in state and local income and sales tax revenues . But history suggests that one key local...
June 30, 2020Robert McClelland
State and Local Issues: TaxVox

Census of Governments Illustrates Declining Aid to Localities, Other Trends in State and Local Finance

COVID-19 is placing an unprecedented strain on local economies, hospital systems , health departments , and budgets . To weather the storm and continue to...
April 21, 2020Megan Randall
: TaxVox

Congress Must Do More To Help States And Localities Respond To COVID-19

The $2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act signed into law last week will allocate roughly $200 billion in fiscal relief to...
March 30, 2020Tracy GordonRichard C. Auxier
State and Local Issues: TaxVox

Critics Argue The Property Tax Is Unfair. Do They Have A Point?

Last month, an Idaho lawmaker called the property tax “ inherently evil ” and suggested the state repeal it and replace the foregone revenue with...
March 9, 2020Tracy Gordon