Sales Tax
Study: Tennessee Highest in Combined State and Local Sales Tax Rate
Jani McAllister browses through a sales rack outside a boutique in Atlanta. Georgia’s combined state and local sales tax rate is just under 7 percent. All but five states have sales taxes, along with many local governments. (AP) Tennessee has the highest combined state and local sales tax rate in the country at 9.44 percent […]
States in Recovery: Revenues
(AP) Revenue Rollercoaster Isn’t Over for the States Part Three of a Three Part Series Eye-popping Wall Street bonuses are back. Yet New York still is not collecting as much tax revenue from the financial sector as it did before the recession. When the good times rolled, one in every five state tax dollars came […]
GOP Lawmakers Look to Abolish Income Taxes
Republican lawmakers in several states are aiming to do what no state has done in more than three decades: eliminate income taxes. Efforts are under way in at least three states to do away with personal and corporate income taxes, while Republicans in control elsewhere are considering rate cuts. “At this point I don’t know if I could […]
Congress Likely to Postpone Online Sales Tax Collection
Federal legislation that would allow states to make online retailers collect sales taxes has bipartisan support in Congress and among state officials. It even has the support of Amazon, by far the nation’s largest online retailer, in addition to backing from traditional retailers such as Wal-Mart. What it doesn’t have, it appears, is a chance […]
Georgia Ponders Spending Billions on Roads and Rails
(iStockphoto) ATLANTA — Some 33,000 people work in the Atlanta neighborhood near Emory University. Besides the school, it is home to a children’s hospital, a senior center, a veterans hospital and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But the neighborhood has no direct access to the area’s public rail system or to an […]
Alabamans Get Sales Tax Holiday for Storm Supplies
Starting at noon today and running through midnight on Sunday, Alabama residents in some cities and counties can stock up for hurricane season without paying the state’s 4 percent sales tax. The weather-related sales tax holiday is one of several recommendations made by a special council appointed by Republican Governor Robert Bentley in the wake […]
As 2012 Agenda Unfolds, to Raise or Cut Taxes Is the Big Question
Republican Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey is calling for an across-the-board 10 percent cut in the state income tax. Governor’s Office/Jody Somers As state lawmakers gather for their 2012 legislative sessions, taxes are emerging as a key issue, with at least half a dozen Republican governors pressing for sweeping tax cuts and just as […]
Brown’s Tax Plan Comes With Double Dose of Uncertainty
With a revenue system that’s heavily dependent on income taxes on the wealthy, California’s budget has a history of unexpected booms and busts that reflect the vagaries of the national economy. In that context, it’s notable that the state Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) has declared that “revenue estimates are an even bigger question mark than usual for the Legislature […]
Tax Talk Grows Louder in California, New York
California Governor Jerry Brown spent most of the legislative session this year trying to get state lawmakers to approve higher income, sales and vehicle taxes to close a sprawling budget shortfall. With his tax increase proposal going nowhere in the legislature, Brown now is expected to go directly to the voters by backing a “multibillion-dollar” […]
Online Sales Tax Collection Comes With Uncertain Rewards
Another Cyber Monday shopping spree has come and gone, with most states failing to collect sales tax from customers who are buying or online retailers who are selling. But states have reason to hope that this situation will change in the not-too-distant future. If that happens, what would it mean for state revenue collection? A […]
Revenue Increase on Table in Washington Special Session
A long-awaited special session in Washington State begins today (November 28), with lawmakers facing a budget shortfall of at least $1.4 billion. The session could last as long as 30 days, and while legislators will consider an array of budget cuts, they will also debate a sales tax increase as a way to prevent deep […]
Proposition 103 in Colorado to Test Voters’ Willingness to Raise Taxes
When Colorado voters go to the polls November 1, the only statewide issue on the ballot will be Proposition 103 , a measure that would increase sales and income taxes to provide money for public education. The controversial measure, which would generate $2.9 billion over the five years the tax increase would be in effect, […]