Taxes

Can the snarky ‘Save Our Yachts’ campaign save Washington’s capital gains tax?

The long-fought-for and hard-won tax has survived its legal challenges. Now it must survive the ballot.

  • By Elizabeth Daigneau

Marijuana tax revenues fall short of projections in many states, including Colorado

COMMENTARY | As the market matures both the price of marijuana and tax revenues associated with its sale will likely drop further in the future.

  • By Boyoung Seo, The Conversation

Can compromise be reached in two state budget debates?

Taxes and affordable housing are holding up budgets in Virginia and New York. Instead of threats, the governors in each state appear to be trying to find common ground—for now.

  • By Daniel C. Vock

New Jersey senator proposes doubling casinos’ online wager tax rates

Change would more than double revenue streams that brought in $414M last year.

  • By Nikita Biryukov, New Jersey Monitor

Senate at an ‘impasse’ over restoring child tax credit

Republicans in the chamber oppose the way the credit is calculated, making the passage of the tax package approved by the House in February uncertain.

  • By Kery Murakami

States love March Madness. That’s a problem for many.

As more states have legalized sports betting, they’ve also seen a dramatic uptick in gambling addiction.

  • By Daniel C. Vock

Inflation has turned Washington state’s property tax cap into a county budget-killer

Frustrated county officials say state leaders have shunted the state’s financial burden onto local governments.

  • By Daniel Walters, Investigate West

From paper to portal: How one city brought tax filings online

Under an aggressive modernization strategy, Columbus, Ohio, has built a one-stop shop for filing income tax returns.

  • By Chris Teale

Michigan governor proposes a caregiver tax credit—an idea many Americans support

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is proposing a $5,000 tax credit to support caregiving services like counseling and transportation.

  • By Sarah E. Patterson and Adriana Reyes, The Conversation

States move to cut grocery taxes

Amid rising food prices, more states are reducing or eliminating a sales tax that impacts lower-income households the most.

  • By Elizabeth Daigneau

Municipalities taxing stay-at-home workers during pandemic was OK, court says

The Ohio Supreme Court upheld a temporary state law that allowed employers to withhold municipal income tax irrespective of where their employees performed their work. The ruling sets a precedent in the state.

  • By Elizabeth Daigneau

Corporate tax breaks are costing schools billions

A three-month investigation by The Conversation finds that tax abatements are coming at the expense of critical funding for school districts. But not all schools in a community are sharing the cash drain equally.

  • By Christine Wen, Texas A&M University, Danielle McLean, The Conversation, Kevin Welner, University of Colorado Boulder and Nathan Jensen, The University of Texas at Austin
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House rejects an increase to the SALT cap

Election-year politics derailed an effort to raise the amount in state and local taxes married couples could deduct. Local governments argued an increase in the cap would help “hardworking American families facing higher federal tax bills.”

  • By Kery Murakami

As concerns over gambling addiction mount, states are set to rake in millions from Super Bowl bets

Sports betting has spread to 38 states and Washington, D.C., over the past five years. In that time, states have also seen massive increases in calls to gambling addiction hotlines. Plus, more news to use from around the country in this week's State and Local Roundup.

  • By Daniel C. Vock

The House has restored the child tax credit. Here’s how it would work.

If the Senate approves the tax package, low-income households would receive between $670 and $730 in benefits per child, much less than during the pandemic.

  • By Kery Murakami

House passes bipartisan tax bill

The measure restores some of the popular expanded child tax credit, as well as a credit that helps states build affordable housing.

  • By Kery Murakami

Private schools, public money: School leaders are pushing parents to exploit voucher programs

Voucher expansions have unleashed a flood of additional taxpayer dollars to the benefit of families already enrolled in private schools. In Ohio, some schools are now “strongly encouraging” parents to apply for vouchers, regardless of need or income.

  • By Alec MacGillis, ProPublica

IRS gears up to launch Direct File pilot

The pilot will only be available on a limited basis to certain taxpayers.

  • By Natalie Alms

Child tax credit revived under proposal in Congress

Negotiators in the House and Senate reached a deal on a proposal to restore the popular credit, as well as one that helps build housing for low-income families.

  • By Kery Murakami

State lawmakers seek to limit property tax increases as home values soar

Property taxes are rising along with real estate prices—particularly in the Mountain West.

  • By Kevin Hardy , Stateline

High taxes aren’t causing rich New Yorkers to flee, study says

The report points to data showing top earners from the Empire State decamp less often than lower-income residents, and when they do leave they move to high-tax states.

  • By Daniel C. Vock