TaxVox: State Economic Development Strategies

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The voices of Tax Policy Center's researchers and staff

State and Local Issues

Road Rage and Raising Revenue: Is It Time For States To Embrace Even Bigger Gas Tax Increases?

July 3, 2019 –
Michigan was one of 12 states that saw gas taxes increase on July 1. Its rate climbed by only 0.1 cent per gallon because it’s indexed monthly for inflation. In contrast, new legislation doubled gas tax rates in Illinois to 38 cents per gallon and raised the levy by 10.5 cents in Ohio. Can Michigan—and other states—go even bigger?
State and Local Issues

Amazon HQ2 Tax Incentives: There Ought To Be A Law… Or Something

November 20, 2018 –
Amazon’s decision to build big new facilities in New York City and Northern Virginia prompted a predictable outcry about the reported $2 billion plus in...

What Lessons Can We Learn from Amazon’s HQ2 Drama?

November 16, 2018 –
Now that Amazon has finally chosen Long Island City, NY and Arlington, Virginia as co-winners in its second headquarters sweepstakes, it’s a good time to...
State and Local Issues

Post-TCJA, Your State Should Consider a Refundable Child Tax Credit

November 15, 2018 –
Some low- and middle-income families in Colorado, Minnesota, New Mexico, and North Dakota are facing state income tax hikes. And the larger the family, generally...

Reality-Based Assistance for Troubled Communities and Regions

October 12, 2018 –
Americans appear deeply divided, in part because they are experiencing vastly different economic outcomes based on where they live. What causes these regional disparities? How...
State and Local Issues

Robots or Jobs? The Federal Tax Law's Uncertain Impact On Communities

September 20, 2018 –
In recent months, many states have adjusted their tax codes in response to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), the sweeping package of federal...

Opportunity Zones May Create More Opportunities for Investors and Syndicators Than Distressed Communities

August 2, 2018 –
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) created a new tax-advantaged Opportunity Zone program to encourage investments in economically-distressed communities that are nominated by governors...
State and Local Issues

Did Governors Target Opportunity Zones To Disinvested Communities?

May 22, 2018 –
Based on recommendations by the nation’s governors, the Treasury Department and IRS have designated Opportunity Zones where corporations and individuals with capital gains will receive...
State and Local Issues

Maryland’s Sweetheart Offer to Amazon Makes No Sense

April 18, 2018 –
My home state of Maryland has agreed to give Amazon as much as $5.6 billion in state tax breaks, nearly $1 billion in local tax...
State and Local Issues

A Little-Publicized Incentive In The New Tax Law Could Become America’s Largest Economic Development Program

March 27, 2018 –
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act included a new federal incentive—Opportunity Zones—to spur investment in poor and undercapitalized communities. These incentives could become the nation’s...