Taxes

Table of Contents Key Findings Average wage earners in the OECD have their take-home pay lowered by two major taxes: individual income and payroll (both employee and employer side). Value-added (VAT) and sales taxes also place a tax burden on take-home pay used for consumption. Before accounting for VAT and sales tax, the average tax

Property taxes are an important source of revenue for local and state governments. In fiscal year (FY) 2018 (the most recent year of data available), property taxes generated 31.1 percent of total U.S. state and local tax collections and 71.7 percent of local tax collections. Local governments rely heavily on property taxes to fund schools, roads, police departments, and

“Should I stay or should I go?” The Clash sang years ago. Residents of New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, Rhode Island, California and other high-tax states are now singing a similar song. The thought of moving to a lower-tax state is more prevalent than ever in light of the federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act

While much of the tax policy now under debate aims to increase the tax burden on businesses, several policies in the newly released Republican Study Committee (RSC) budget for Fiscal Year 2022 focus on reducing the tax code’s barriers to investment and saving. The RSC budget contains many possible tax reforms, but two proposals in

Today, the U.S. Treasury issued an interim final rule on the $350 billion in State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds provided under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). The proposed rule resolves several important questions but continues to involve the federal government in state finances at an extraordinary level. Most astonishingly, the rule may functionally

The Internal Revenue Service has released a draft version of the Form 1040 for tax year 2020 with several significant changes probably in store for next tax season. They include moving the question about virtual currency from the attached Schedule 1 to near the top of the main form, right under the name and address,

The Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) recently released data on taxes paid at various levels of income, indicating the federal tax system is progressive, consistent with similar analysis by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The JCT found that the bottom 50 percent of taxpayers faced an

This week’s map looks at state and local sales tax collections per capita. Forty-five states and the District of Columbia have state-levied sales taxes. Five states—Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire, and Oregon—do not collect sales taxes at the state level, although Alaska allows localities to impose local sales taxes. In fiscal year (FY) 2018, the highest state

Investing can be an excellent way to build your wealth without having to do much work. Perhaps that’s why so many Americans do it. According to the Pew Research Center, 52% of American families are in some way invested in the stock market – mostly through 401(k)s and retirement accounts – and 14% directly invested

Every year, you learn something new when you file your taxes. Hopefully, every time you figure out how to do it more efficiently. Maybe you discover a new way to file that takes less time. Perhaps you maximize your tax refund or determine ways in which you will owe less the next time around. Whether

You paid taxes throughout your entire working life, whether you were worked a full-time job with a company or you were self-employed. Now that you’re retired, the kinds of taxes you’ll be paying are going to change. If you’re getting ready to retire, here are the taxes you may have to pay. Income Taxes When

Talking about money with anyone can be awkward, but what about talking with your family? Those conversations hit much closer to home, making it even more difficult to talk with your loved ones about your financial situation. Why does it matter? Couldn’t you just avoid talking about your taxes with your family? Well, you could.

Generally, people don’t like paying taxes. When their paycheck comes, they see that a large amount of money is taken out and they wonder where it’s all going. And then during tax time, they might get frustrated because they come to find out they owe the government even more money. However, as annoying as paying

Table of Contents Key Findings The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act made temporary structural changes to the federal tax code to enhance business liquidity, including more generous treatment of net operating losses and business interest expenses. Under the CARES Act’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), businesses that receive loan forgiveness are not required

President Joe Biden’s proposal to raise the federal corporate income tax rate to 28 percent would increase the combined average top tax rate on corporate income to 32.4 percent, highest in the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), reducing U.S. competitiveness and long-run economic growth. While the focus has been on the federal rate,

Was this page helpful to you? Thank You! The Tax Foundation works hard to provide insightful tax policy analysis. Our work depends on support from members of the public like you. Would you consider contributing to our work? Contribute to the Tax Foundation Share This Article! Let us know how we can better serve you!

Table of Contents Executive Summary Income tax repeal is on the agenda in West Virginia, with Governor Jim Justice (R) and Republicans in both the House and Senate releasing plans for dramatically lowering or eliminating the state’s individual income tax. Despite their shared aims, these plans represent vastly different approaches. They are not even aligned

Excise taxes are commonly employed to deter consumption or internalize societal costs, but in West Virginia, Gov. Jim Justice (R) is proposing to increase the excise tax on soft drinks to pay for part of an income tax reform. He’s not alone in considering ways to raise revenue as state lawmakers look to a time

Over the last few years, concerns have been raised that the existing international tax system does not properly capture the digitalization of the economy. Under current international tax rules, multinationals generally pay corporate income tax where production occurs rather than where consumers or, specifically for the digital sector, users are located. However, some argue that

A recent working paper by economists at the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) shows that not all taxes are created equal—progressive taxes on labor income and taxes on capital income would have a negative impact on the economy, capital investment, and jobs, especially when compared to flatter taxes on labor income. Policymakers should consider these results