Tax Foundation's Tax Policy Podcast

On this week's podcast, Tax Foundation Staff Economist Kail Padgitt, Ph.D., discusses the recently released State Business Tax Climate Index for 2011, with a focus on the states of the Mountain West (Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Idaho and Montana). The Index ranks the tax systems of the 50 states from 1 (best) to 50 (worst). For more information, see Tax...

On this week's podcast, Tax Foundation Staff Economist Kail Padgitt, Ph.D., discusses the recently released State Business Tax Climate Index for 2011, with a focus on the upper Southwest (Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Oklahoma). The Index ranks the tax systems of the 50 states from 1 (best) to 50 (worst). For more information, see Tax Foundation...

On this week's podcast, Tax Foundation Staff Economist Kail Padgitt, Ph.D., discusses the recently released State Business Tax Climate Index for 2011, with a focus on the upper Midwest (North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, and Minnesota). The Index ranks the tax systems of the 50 states from 1 (best) to 50 (worst). For more...

On this week's podcast, Tax Foundation Staff Economist Kail Padgitt, Ph.D., discusses the recently released State Business Tax Climate Index for 2011, with a focus on the states around the Great Lakes (Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio). The Index ranks the tax systems of the 50 states from 1 (best) to 50 (worst). For more information, see ...

On this week's podcast, Tax Foundation Staff Economist Kail Padgitt, Ph.D., discusses the recently released State Business Tax Climate Index for 2011, with a focus on the states in the Southeast (Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, Tennessee, and Kentucky). The Index ranks the tax...

On this week's podcast, Tax Foundation Staff Economist Kail Padgitt, Ph.D., discusses the recently released State Business Tax Climate Index for 2011, with a focus on the Mid-Atlantic states (New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Delaware). The Index ranks the tax systems of the 50 states from 1 (best) to 50 (worst). For more information, see...

On this week's podcast, Tax Foundation Staff Economist Kail Padgitt, Ph.D., discusses the recently released State Business Tax Climate Index for 2011. The Index ranks the tax systems of the 50 states from 1 (best) to 50 (worst). South Dakota's tax system is the most welcoming to economic activity while New York's tax code ranks 50th as the least hospitable. For more information, see Tax Foundation Background...

On this week's podcast, Tax Foundation Staff Economist Kail Padgitt, Ph.D., discusses recently released Fiscal Facts on state tax policy: one examining combined state and average local sales tax rates; another on combined state, county and city sales tax rates among major metropolitan areas; a report analyzing state and local tax revenue sources; and finally, a...

Kristina Rasmussen, Executive Vice President of the Illinois Policy Institute, recently authored a report looking at the cost of higher state and federal income taxes for Illinois families in 2011. In this week's podcast, Rasmussen discusses how...

The Tax Foundation recently released a report outlining significant changes in state tax policy during 2010. Some states have enacted targeted tax increases or turned to the politically convenient option of one-time funds and accounting gimmicks to fill budget gaps. In this week's podcast, Tax Foundation Tax Counsel and Director of State Projects Joseph Henchman discusses the report and some upcoming changes for the rest of the year. For...

Last fall, the state of New York appointed its first Taxpayer Rights Advocate, Jack Trachtenberg, to act as an ombudsman between the public and the Department of Taxation and Finance in resolving taxpayer disputes. In this week's podcast, he discusses the role of his office and some recommendations after his first year on the job. Trachtenberg says his goal as Taxpayer Rights Advocate is to...

A number of states are hold back-to-school sales tax holidays starting as early as Friday, Aug. 6. And with Gov. Deval Patrick's signature, Massachusetts will become the 19th state to offer a sales tax holiday in 2010, exempting tangible personal property costing up to $2,500 from its 6.25% general sales tax from August 14-15. In this week's podcast, Tax Foundation Staff Economist Mark Robyn discusses why sales tax holidays are bad tax policy....

Nevada policymakers are considering a number of tax reform proposals. These could include changes to business taxes as well as sales taxes. The Nevada Policy Research Institute recently released a report suggesting comprehensive fiscal reforms to improve the state's economy. Geoffrey Lawrence, a fiscal policy analyst for the Institute and author of the report, "One Sound State, Once...

The fate of the 2001 and 2003 Bush tax cuts is up in the air. President Obama has proposed extending all of the tax cuts for everyone but high-income taxpayers. Some members of Congress are arguing that none of the tax cuts should be extended given current deficit levels. Some are calling for a temporary extension, while still others are calling for a permanent extension. In this week's podcast, Tax Foundation President Scott Hodge interviews...

There has been much discussion among policymakers and the media about the possibility of a value added tax, or VAT, in the United States -- either to help reduce the growing federal budget deficit or to offset other tax cuts. This week's podcast guest is Randall Holcombe, Ph.D., who has authored "The Value Added Tax: Too Costly for the United States," for the Mercatus Center at George...

The U.S. Supreme Court recently denied requests to review two separate cases addressing tax retroactivity and related tax law controversies. In this week's podcast, Arushi Sharma, a clerk with the Tax Foundation's Center for Legal Reform, interviews Paul Frankel, a partner at the New York-based law firm Morrison & Foerster. Paul Frankel co-chairs the firm's Tax...

Rhode Island Gov. Donald Carcieri (R) recently signed into law sweeping changes to the state's individual tax system. The reform reduces the state's top income tax rate from 9.9% to 5.99%, increases the standard deduction and eliminates the optional flat tax. In this week's podcast, Governor Carcieri discusses the changes with Joseph Henchman, the Tax Foundation's Tax...

On January 1, 2010 the federal estate tax was completely repealed - but only for this year. Come 2011, the tax is scheduled to return at a rate of 55% with the lower exemption level of $1 million. On this week's podcast, Dick Patten, President of the American Family Business Institute, discusses how we got here, alternative proposals and what his organization is doing to promote permanent repeal. "This battle really comes down to a...

In this week's podcast, Josh Barro, the Walter B. Wriston Fellow at the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, discusses his recent report examining the effect of Massachusetts' Proposition 2.5, a property tax cap, on the quality of state education. Barro suggests that Massachusetts' success at limiting property tax growth without necessitating other tax increases or...

U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) has introduced the Economic Freedom Act of 2010, which would reduce the federal corporate income tax rate from 35 percent to 12.5 percent, cut payroll taxes in half, eliminate the capital gains and estate taxes and provide immediate business expensing. Interviewing Congressman Jordan is Rob Shrum, the Tax Foundation's Manager of...