Taxes

The economic harms of the gross receipts tax (GRT) were well understood by the early 20th century. Not only is the tax inequitable, but it is also inefficient and distortionary. That is why most states abandoned GRTs in the early 1900s, as states developed the capacity to administer less harmful taxes. Unfortunately, some policymakers in

The Internal Revenue Service has started sending letters to taxpayers who received advance Child Tax Credit (CTC) payments or the third round of stimulus checks. If you received both or either of these payments, keep an eye on your mailbox and hold onto these IRS letters! They will help you file an accurate income tax

Most countries’ personal income taxes have a progressive structure, meaning that the tax rate paid by individuals increases as they earn higher wages. The highest income tax rate individuals pay differs significantly across European OECD countries—as shown in today’s map. The top statutory personal income tax rate applies to the share of income that falls

Raising kids is expensive. Thankfully, becoming a parent comes with some valuable tax breaks — most notably, the Child Tax Credit (CTC). What is the Child Tax Credit? The CTC is a tax credit for parents of dependent children designed to help offset the cost of raising kids. For tax year 2021, the CTC is

Ever since the U.S. first introduced the Child Tax Credit (CTC) in 1997, Puerto Rican residents with taxable income have been eligible to claim payments for their children — but there was a catch. In previous years, families in Puerto Rico also needed to have at least three children to qualify for the credit. This

During the pandemic, policymakers relied on the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to administer business relief through the tax code. The emergency relief, including business tax refunds for net operating losses (NOLs), was intended to quickly help businesses that lost their source of income during the pandemic. A new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO)

New to small business taxes and all they entail? In this article, we’ll cover some of the most frequently asked small business tax questions, such as what you can and can’t deduct on your tax return, how to save for retirement, and more. Let’s dive right in! What small business expenses can I deduct? As

Earlier this month, JAMA Internal Medicine published a study about the impact of banning flavored tobacco products in Massachusetts. The study found, not surprisingly, that the sale of flavored tobacco decreased following the ban. By comparing sales in Massachusetts with sales across 27 other states, the authors observed that sales had decreased more in Massachusetts

Key Findings Forty-five states and the District of Columbia collect statewide sales taxes. Local sales taxes are collected in 38 states. In some cases, they can rival or even exceed state rates. The five states with the highest average combined state and local sales tax rates are Louisiana (9.55 percent), Tennessee (9.547 percent), Arkansas (9.48

Curious about the business tax deadlines that you should mark on your calendar this tax season? Here’s what small business owners need to know. Deadlines for filing small business tax returns There are different filing deadlines to be aware of depending on what type of business you have. Below are the key tax calendar dates

More than 300 billion cigarettes are sold each year in Indonesia—making it the world’s second-largest cigarette market to China. As such, it is important how Indonesia taxes tobacco products. Last year, I wrote about the counterproductive complexity of the country’s tobacco tax system, but in December, Indonesia announced some positive changes to the design. Effective

If 2021 was a big year for state tax reform, 2022 may give it a run for its money. With January now in the books, the 40 states which have convened their legislative sessions—six more will join them, while four states’ legislatures do not meet in odd-numbered years—already show a flurry of activity on taxes,

If you received advance Child Tax Credit (CTC) monthly payments last year, you should be getting Letter 6419 from the IRS. This letter details the total advance payments you received last year and lets you know how much of the credit you can still expect to claim when filing your 2021 tax return. However, the

During last year’s legislature’s special session in Maine, two bills, H.P. 1039 and H.P. 1258, would have doubled the excise tax on cigarettes to $4.00 a pack. Neither bill passed, but both have carried over to this year’s session and H.P 1258 will be heard by the Health and Human Services Committee in February. These proposals will not

The Build Back Better legislative package includes both tax hikes and tax cuts, which contain two contrasting tax policy narratives. Tax hikes include corporate tax increases on foreign income and a new 15 percent domestic minimum tax, and green energy tax incentives provide a tax cut. Policymakers also sought to protect some pre-existing tax incentives from

The Department of the Treasury has finalized its rule governing State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF), the $350 billion state and local governments received under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). State policymakers should have three key takeaways: If states want to use the funds to replenish their unemployment compensation (UC) trust funds—and they

Consumer prices rose by 7 percent in 2021, the highest annual rate of inflation since 1982. Where did this inflation come from and what might its impacts be? Tax and fiscal policy offer important clues. Initially thought to be “transitory” and largely the result of pandemic-related supply-chain issues, many economists at the Federal Reserve and

People often talk about the tax breaks that come with getting married — but that doesn’t mean unmarried people are out of luck when it comes to getting the most back on their taxes. In fact, there are several reasons why a single filing status may come in handy during tax refund season. To celebrate

Note: The following is Tax Foundation testimony on Kansas House Bills 2484 and 2487 (Neutral), submitted to the Kansas House Committee on Taxation on January 25, 2022. Chairman Smith and Members of the Committee: My name is Katherine Loughead, and I am a Senior Policy Analyst at the Tax Foundation. I appreciate the opportunity to speak

Tennessee made important strides in improving its tax structure when it completed phaseout of the Hall Tax—the state’s income tax, which was levied only on interest and dividends income. This change was many years in the works, making Tennessee the eighth state without an individual income tax. But while Tennessee now boasts no individual income