Taxes

In the United States, tobacco is taxed at both the federal and state and sometimes even local levels. These layers of taxes often result in very high levels of taxation—the highest of any consumer item. The retail price of cigarettes, for instance, is more than 40 percent taxes on average. In some states, like Minnesota

Job creation tax credits. Investment tax credits. Research and development tax credits. Payroll withholding tax rebates. Property tax abatements. Those are just five of the major categories of tax incentives states offer with the goal of encouraging new investment and economic development in their state. Nearly all states offer at least one of those major

Tax policy can influence business decisions in a variety of ways, some more easily influenced than others. One decision that the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 impacted is where companies choose to hold their intellectual property (IP). International trade data shows a significant shift of IP assets into the U.S. in 2017. However,

While sales tax holidays have been politically popular for a long time, they’ve seen a boost with lawmakers in several states this year as a way to share unanticipated surpluses with taxpayers. Although state budgets may be in unusual places this year, sales tax holidays remain the same as they always have been—ineffective and inefficient.

As Congress considers turning the $579 billion bipartisan infrastructure deal and President Joe Biden’s $2.2 trillion American Jobs Plan (AJP) into legislative text, policymakers may consider using additional tax revenue generated from infrastructure spending to offset the plans’ deficit impact. Applying dynamic scoring to the spending side of the proposals would only generate a small

Cutting the cord can also mean cutting your tax bill. Cable companies providing TV packages are commonly charged franchise or right-of-way taxes as a sort of payment for the easements allowing them to run cable, while streaming services operating over the internet remain untaxed in this way (except for sales taxes, which a majority of

Thin capitalization occurs when companies finance investments and operations through a level of debt far higher than their level of equity. High-tax countries create an incentive for companies to finance investments with debt because interest payments are tax-deductible, while the costs associated with equity financing are most often not. Some multinational corporations take advantage of

When you file your taxes, you may discover that you owe money to the government. If it’s a large sum of money, you might find you are unable to pay it right away. If you find yourself in this situation, it is strongly advised that you sign up for an IRS payment plan to avoid

Some of President Biden’s tax proposals, such as taxing unrealized capital gains at death, are specifically aimed at reducing wealth inequality. Indeed, it is commonly asserted that wealth inequality is too high and rapidly growing over time. However, new research from Federal Reserve Bank of Boston economists suggests wealth inequality has grown less than previously

Table of Contents Key Findings As states close their books for fiscal year 2021, many have much more revenue on hand than they anticipated last year. In 2021, 11 states have enacted laws to reduce their income tax rates, with 10 reducing individual income tax rates and five reducing corporate income tax rates. In many

The IRS issued the first round of monthly payments for the Child Tax Credit last week on July 15. Families who are eligible for the credit based on their most recently filed tax return received the payments via direct deposit or paper check. Monthly payouts will continue throughout the rest of the year with families

The Biden administration has proposed to significantly increase the tax burden on foreign income through a policy known as Global Intangible Low-Tax Income (GILTI). While the administration’s rhetoric focuses on doubling the tax rate on GILTI from 10.5 percent to 21 percent, this is less than half the story. The rate on GILTI is going

Businesses’ tax liability can differ markedly across states, and policymakers often pay attention to this competitive tax landscape. What is less often remarked upon, however, is the variation of tax treatment within a given state. Different industries and activities can face radically different tax burdens within the same state due to non-neutralities in the tax

Later this month more than 39 million households are set to receive advance payments of the Child Tax Credit (CTC) that was expanded in the March 2021 American Rescue Plan. Many households are uncertain about how the advance payments will affect their refunds or taxes owed when they file next year, and some questions about

Today, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D), Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D), and Sen. Cory Booker (D) released their discussion draft—the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act—for federal descheduling of marijuana. While federal descheduling impacts all states, it does not deschedule marijuana in states which choose to keep their own ban. Nevertheless, descheduling would

In 2020 and 2021, Congress enacted three rounds of economic impact payments (EIPs) for direct relief to households amidst the pandemic-induced downturn. Survey data from the U.S. Census Bureau indicates that households increasingly saved their EIPs or used them to pay down debt rather than spend them. About 90 percent of tax filers and millions

File a tax return extension for the first time this year? Here are a few things to consider before the Oct. 15 extension deadline. 1. E-file for a faster refund. If you believe you’ll receive a refund after filing, the quickest way to get your money is to e-file your return using a trusted tax

Businesses around the world often operate in more than one country, making them subject to multiple tax jurisdictions. To prevent businesses from minimizing their tax liability by taking advantage of cross-country differences, countries have implemented various anti-tax avoidance measures, such as the so-called Controlled Foreign Corporation (CFC) rules. Controlled Foreign Corporation rules apply to certain income

President Biden’s tax proposals released as part of his fiscal year 2022 budget would collect about $2 trillion in new tax revenue from businesses over 10 years. This new revenue would bring income tax collections on businesses as a portion of GDP to its highest level on a sustained basis in over 40 years. Income

Table of Contents 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