Jared Walczak

For Meaningful Federal Aid to States, Why Not Reimburse Unemployment Compensation Payments?

Improving trust fund solvency and staving off costly business tax increases is a win-win proposition for federal and state governments alike.

What the GameStop Saga Can Teach Us About Mark-to-Market Taxation of Capital Gains

Whether you see the GameStop saga as a Robin Hood-style victory for the little guys or as a case of disruptive investor hysteria, it provides an interesting case study in just how badly the mark-to-market treatment of capital gains income could go awry.

Washington State Floats a Wealth Tax Which Relies Almost Exclusively on Four People

What happens if you create a tax and its base is, for all intents and purposes, four people? If some Washington lawmakers had their way, we might find out.

The COVID-19 Relief Bill Contains Over $100 Billion in State Aid After All

The $900 billion coronavirus relief package provides nearly $82 billion for the Education Stabilization Fund, $14 billion for mass transit, and $10 billion for state highways,

Where State Unemployment Compensation Trust Funds Stand in December

With 2020 nearing its close, state unemployment compensation trust funds continue to struggle under the weight of so many pandemic-created beneficiaries, though some funds are beginning to stabilize as people increasingly return to work.

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.

Details and Analysis of State and Local Aid Under the Bipartisan State and Local Support and Small Business Protection Act of 2020

On Monday, members of the bipartisan Gang of Eight negotiating an end-of-year pandemic relief package announced that they had settled on language and had divided the package into two bills: a pandemic aid package and a $160 billion state and local support package.

New York Lawmaker Floats a Scrooge Tax on Online Shopping

Just in time for the holidays, one lawmaker wants to tax New York City residents $3 for every package they order online, excluding food and medicine

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

How Would the Proposed $160 Billion in State and Local Aid Be Allocated?

A bipartisan coalition of Senators unveiled a $908 billion COVID-19 relief bill on Tuesday, which includes, among other provisions, $160 billion in additional aid to state and local governments. It is worth briefly exploring what this would mean, and the amounts of aid your state might expect.

No, We Don’t Need a Federal Work-From-Home Tax

A recent Deutsche Bank analysis proposes a federal work-from-home tax (“privilege tax”), which is designed to strip away the financial benefit of remote work.

IRS Signals Approval of Entity-Level SALT Cap Workaround, But States Should Still Think Twice

Election Analysis: Why Voters Split the Difference on Income Tax Measures

Illinois voters rejected a high graduated rate income tax (“Fair Tax”) while Arizonans embraced a large income tax rate increase for high earners, among the many attention-grabbing results from Tuesday’s elections.

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.

2021 State Business Tax Climate Index

Top Rates in Each State Under Joe Biden’s Tax Plan

President Joe Biden’s tax plan would yield combined top marginal state and local rates in excess of 60 percent in three states: California, Hawaii, and New Jersey (also New York City).

Arizona Proposition 208 Threatens Arizona’s Status as a Destination for Interstate Migration

Significantly raising the income tax through Proposition 208 will only serve to make Arizona less competitive, especially at a time when individuals and small businesses are already struggling. If Arizona is looking for a long-term way to increase education funding, it would do well to avoid overburdening struggling taxpayers and look toward more broad-based, stable sources of revenue.

Twelve Things to Know About the “Fair Tax for Illinois”

Heading into Election Day, the Illinois legislature and Governor J.B. Pritzker (D) are trying to convince voters to scrap a key constitutional feature of Illinois’ tax system: a provision in the state constitution that prohibits a graduated-rate income tax.

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.

Republican Study Committee Workforce Plan Rethinks Education, Labor, and Welfare Tax Policy

The House Republican Study Committee released a proposal, “Reclaiming the American Dream,” which includes 118 policy recommendations to address education, labor, and welfare policy with the aim of expanding opportunity, liberty, and free enterprise for all Americans.