The Pew Charitable Trusts - State and Consumer Initiatives about

States Scramble to Attract Suddenly Hot Cybersecurity Firms

Good news from data leaks? Cybersecurity firms are hot in states.

How Did States Create Jobs?

States this year awarded tax breaks to businesses, touted worker-training programs and even poached jobs from each other to boost their economies and create work for the nearly 12 million Americans still unemployed.

State Revenues Are Up, But Not to Pre-Recession Levels

The vast majority of states saw revenues and spending rise in fiscal 2013, but pent-up demands on that cash are straining budgets

As Revenues Rebounded, Many States Cut Taxes

Rebounding revenues prompted tax cuts in some states — but not all of them.

No New Taxes? It Depends on Where You Live

After years of budget triage, governors and legislators charted bold paths on taxes. AL Approved tax credits—about $3,500—to help pay tuition at a private school for families with kids

State Tax Collections Up

State tax collections up; but how much is just income-shifting?

Arizona’s Gov. Brewer Celebrates Tax Hike Expiration

Once upon a time, Arizona Gov. Brewer fought for a sales tax hike; now she celebrates its demise.

Cigarette Smuggling Cuts States’ Per-Pack Tax Revenues

Cigarette Smuggling Hurts States' Tax Collections

Report: Delaware Has Lowest Business Taxes; Alaska Highest

New report says businesses pay lower taxes in Delaware, Oregon and Utah; higher taxes in Alaska and North Dakota. But what your company pays may depend on the business you’re in.

Not So Fast: Tax Revenue Estimates From Legal Marijuana May Not Materialize

Proponents of legalized recreational marijuana touted millions in taxes that could be collected. But don’t count that money yet.

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Incentives for Companies in Georgia Sometimes Don’t Deliver Promised Jobs

Hungry for jobs, Georgia has spent hundreds of millions of public dollars in the last decade on grants to recruit and retain businesses.

Mortgage Deduction Rates Vary Widely Among States

The mortgage interest deduction is a tax break that benefits middle-class Americans all over the country—or does it?

Small Businesses Seek Relief from ACA Penalties

Big fines for small businesses are among the possible unintended consequences of the Supreme Court’s decision to make the Medicaid expansion optional for states.

Jackson Free Press: Lawmakers Must Decide on Raft of Tax-cut Bills

How much is too much? When it comes to tax cuts, that's the question that lawmakers and Gov. Phil Bryant must decide in coming weeks.

States’ Free Online Tax Filing Services Often Overlooked

Some 20 states allow taxpayers to file income tax online for free. Is your state one of them?

Should States Get Out of the Booze Business?

Pennsylvania is as close as it has ever come to privatizing liquor sales following a House vote in March. Tricky questions await the Senate as it considers whether to modernize or dismantle the state’s multifarious system.

Infographic: Payday Loans and Tax Time

How do payday loan borrowers use their tax refund? Pew has shown that payday loans are used for long term expenses instead of emergencies, and that many payday borrowers end up paying off their balances with a cash windfall.

Infographic: Risky Refunds

What are the risks when consumers receive their tax refund on a prepaid card? The use of general purpose reloadable prepaid cards has grown 600 percent since 2010, and Americans are expected to load over $200 billion on them this year, according to the Mercator Advisory Group.

Which States Tax Your Travel the Most?

Your vacation dollar won’t go as far in some destinations because of state and local travel taxes.

States in Recovery: Revenues

For nearly half the states, recovery is tenuous, with revenues still below peak levels before the recession.

Governors Fear Loss of Bond Tax Exemption

A panel of top tax policy analysts has warned the nation’s governors they face an ongoing risk of increased borrowing costs if President Obama and Congress curb or eliminate the tax exemption on municipal bonds to bring down the federal budget deficit.

Why Tax Revision Is an Inexact Science

Several governors are talking about major change in their state tax structures this year. How do they know how much money a revised tax system will bring in? Often, they don’t.

Diving Deeper: Nebraska Governor’s Thinking on Tax Cuts, Medicaid

Few governors are in as enviable a position as Nebraska’s Dave Heineman. The Republican has one of the highest approval rates of any governor in the country, and his state has one of the lowest unemployment rates.

Fracking for State Dollars

The boom in oil and gas production has some states taking another look at the kinds of taxes they levy.

As Legislatures Become More Partisan, Nebraska Holds Out

LINCOLN, Nebraska — Both in law and in practice, Nebraska has the least partisan legislature in the country. To supporters, that makes it a national model. To the state’s dominant Republican Party, however, that sometimes makes it a political obstacle.

GOP Lawmakers Look to Abolish Income Taxes

Republican lawmakers in several states are taking aim at something no state has done in more than three decades: eliminate income taxes.

Seniors Are New Target for Tax Increases

Over the years, states have carved out ever more generous tax breaks for the elderly. Now, Kentucky and a few other states are beginning to question whether these policies cost too much.

Update: Fiscal Cliff Deal Poses Uncertainty For States

An update on how the sequester and possible future federal spending cuts could impact state budgets.

Uncertainty from Washington Continues for States

States trying to craft their budgets for the upcoming year will have to wait until March for more details from Washington.

Brownback's Dilemma: How to Balance the Kansas Budget After Massive Tax Cuts

Kansas made a big gamble last year that huge income tax cuts would eventually bring prosperity. Right now, though, they’re causing painful decisions.

Congress Likely to Postpone Online Sales Tax Collection

A bipartisan group of state elected officials has pushed hard for federal legislation that would allow states to require the collection of sales taxes on internet purchases. For now, though, that effort hasn’t overcome congressional gridlock.

Maine Tax Cuts May Outlive Republican Rule

Democrats won legislative victories campaigning against tax cuts, but may not have the power or inclination to repeal them.

Fiscal Cliff Jitters Could Boost Early State Tax Revenue

When filmmaker George Lucas sold his company and the Star Wars franchise to Walt Disney Co. this fall, he saved hundreds of millions of dollars in state and federal taxes by not waiting until next year when higher tax rates are anticipated. He’s hardly alone.

State Tax Incentives for Economic Development

This collection of research highlights steps that states can take to create fiscally sound state tax incentives and to determine whether existing incentives are generating solid economic returns.

Medicaid Trumps `Fiscal Cliff’ as Top State Budget Concern

Medicaid is still the biggest budget worry for the coming year, according to a new survey of state legislative directors to be released soon. Nowhere is the problem larger than in Texas, which faces a $4.3 billion Medicaid deficit.

Tax Breaks for Sale: Transferable Tax Credits Explained

States offer billions of dollars of tax incentives that businesses can sell to other businesses. Here’s why they do it and how it works.

Avoiding Blank Checks

Two up-front steps can help states create fiscally sound tax incentives. When policy makers omit these steps, they leave their states vulnerable to unexpected budget challenges.

Oregon Lawmakers To Consider Nike Expansion in Special Session

Governor John Kitzhaber has asked lawmakers to convene in special session Friday to consider legislation aimed at guaranteeing that Nike will expand in Oregon rather than elsewhere.

Database: Tax Expenditures

Explore our Tax Expenditure Database.

After Tax Hike, Arkansas Plans Highway Building Boom

Transportation funding advocates have suffered setbacks in several states recently. In Arkansas, they won big.

Cyber Monday Sparks Calls for Online Sales Tax

A coalition of small business leaders is hoping this will be the last Cyber Monday of the era without online sales taxes. It is pressing Congress to pass legislation requiring most online retailers to collect and remit sales taxes.

To Raise Revenue, Raise Tobacco Taxes, Kentucky Commission Says

Kentucky’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Tax Reform recommended the state increase its cigarette tax from 60 cents to $1 per pack, along with a proportional hike on other forms of tobacco.

Oklahoma Among States Limiting Property Taxes

Lowering property taxes is always popular, and results from the November 6 elections show this year was no exemption

Infographic: Ballot Measures Gave Voters Say on Divisive Issues

Voters in 38 states will decide 174 statewide ballot measures on Election Day. Are any on your ballot?

Tax Pledge Permeates New Hampshire Politics

New Hampshire has no income tax or sales tax. The candidates for governor want to keep it that way. But despite that, the debate over taxes never really goes away.

Obama's and Romney’s Tax Plans: What Do They Mean for States?

Overlooked during the presidential campaigns is how Obama and Romney’s tax proposals could affect states. Here’s a look.

Hawaii Judge: Online Travel Companies Don’t Owe Unpaid Taxes

Online travel companies that book hotel rooms in Hawaii have not shortchanged the state millions in tax remittances, a state judge ruled Monday, continuing a losing trend for governments challenging the companies’ tax practices.

Texas Awaits Ruling on Franchise Tax’s Fate

The Texas Supreme Court is expected within days to decide whether the state’s franchise tax, designed to cover more businesses and raise more revenue, is constitutional.

Former Florida Regulators Want Water Funding Boost

A group of 20 former water regulators in Florida is urging Governor Rick Scott to restore funding to the state’s five water management districts, whose budgets have shrunken dramatically under the governor.

Oregon to Vote on Changing Unique Tax Refund

For many years, Oregon has been the only state in the country where tax revenue that exceeds what the state estimated it would collect is automatically refunded to taxpayers. For many years, much of Oregon’s political leadership has complained that