CTJ's Tax Justice Digest, March 2, 2007

Latest Data From CTJ Shows Over Two Trillion Spent this Decade on Tax Cuts;
Majority Goes to Richest One Percent

Citizens for Tax Justice has released the latest data showing the cost and distribution of the Bush tax cuts enacted through 2006. The projected total cost of the tax cuts from 2001 through 2010 is either $2.4 trillion or $2.6 trillion, depending on whether or not Congress chooses to extend temporary higher exemptions from the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT). The top one percent of taxpayers would receive 53 percent of the benefits of the tax breaks in 2010 under the President's budget proposal (which does not include extending AMT exemptions). Extending AMT relief through the end of the decade would cost an additional $278 billion.

States Growing Tired of Large National Businesses Avoiding State Taxes

As expected, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick this week joined the ranks of chief executives calling for the use of combined reporting of state corporate income taxes to combat tax avoidance by large and profitable companies. Like the Governors of New York, Pennsylvania, and Iowa, Governor Patrick, in his FY2008 budget plan, recommended adopting this approach to corporate taxation, which would require corporations operating in multiple states to report all of their income — including that attributable to subsidiaries. This would negate any tax benefit derived from accounting schemes designed to shift profits out-of-state. A fact sheet from the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center explains how combined reporting works and why it's needed in the Bay State. While Martin O'Malley has not yet added his name to this growing gubernatorial roster, Maryland legislators this week considered a bill to institute combined reporting in their state. ITEP Executive Director Matt Gardner was among those who testified on the measure.

Property Taxes — the Good, the Bad, and the Ironic

A recent court ruling in the state of Washington has given policymakers there an opportunity to revisit a property tax cap that has imposed considerable strains on schools and other local services. A new report from the Washington State Budget and Policy Center examines some of the flaws in the state's current property tax system and explores some of the options that other states use — like a property tax circuit breaker — to improve the fairness of that particular tax.

Florida and Maine are weighing changes to their property taxes as well — changes that would make their tax systems less fair. Last week, the Republican leadership of the Florida House of Representatives proposed abolishing the statewide property tax for Florida residents, limiting local property taxes, and raising the state sales tax rate 2.5 percentage points to 8.5 percent. These changes would not only exacerbate the inequity of Florida's tax system, but would also take a $5.8 billion bite out of state and local revenues, since the higher sales tax rate would only make up a little more than half of the revenue lost due to property tax cuts. "Reckless" and "irresponsible" are among some of the nicer things that the St. Petersburg Times has to say about the proposal. Ironically, Maine's Governor, John Baldacci, in his FY 2008-2009 budget, advocated the same sort of limits on property tax assessments for year-round residents that have contributed to Florida's fiscal problems. This ITEP Policy Brief details the shortcomings of these kinds of assessment caps.

Quite a Gamble: Selling Off State Assets

Despite strong opposition, Indiana is preparing to lease the state lottery to a private company. The state hopes for a large one-time revenue boost of at least $1 billion from the sale; with the money used to help pay for college scholarships and possibly city police and fire pensions, among other things. The possible $1 billion windfall sounds appealing, given that the Hoosier Lottery rarely exceeds $200 million in yearly revenue. However, opposition to the plan is strong among several different groups. Many people fear that in order to justify the $1 billion investment, the purchasing company will have to increase lotto sales, which raises ethical questions for some. Others are concerned that a private company will have a de facto monopoly on lotto gambling in the state. Most worrying, though, is the precedent set by a cash-hungry state turning over what was once a public asset to a private company in return for a one-time revenue boost.

The Economist Endorses Offshore Tax Havens

The Economist last week presented a 14-page special report on why offshore tax havens are good for us. In 2005 the Tax Justice Network estimated that $255 billion in revenues is lost each year from governments whose citizens hold their funds in offshore tax havens, a figure the magazine says "not everyone believes" even though no one has ever shown this number to be inaccurate. The authors generally downplay the loss of revenues and illegal evasion of tax laws. They seem to feel that the "tax competition" that offshore tax havens provide is healthy, no matter how much this causes democratically elected governments to lose control of their tax and fiscal policies.

Perhaps the most entertaining suggestion is that jurisdictions like the United States lower their taxes to reduce the incentive for tax evasion. By that logic we could reduce speeding on America's highways by raising the speed limits to 150 mph, or reduce stealing by abolishing property rights. If you want real solutions for dealing with tax havens and other causes of the tax gap, see Bob McIntyre's suggestions to the Senate Budget Committee.

Should Cigarette Taxes Be Used to Pay for Healthcare?

Twelve states are considering proposals to hike cigarette taxes, mostly in order to pay for healthcare initiatives, while a proposal in the U.S. Senate would hike the federal cigarette tax to fund an expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). Of the 12 states, seven would use the money for healthcare. The increase may now be off the table in one of those states, Indiana. Governor Mitch Daniels's proposal to increase the tax from 55.5 cents to 80.5 cents was just rejected by the State House of Representatives. In the U.S. Senate, Gordon Smith (R-OR) claims that using cigarette taxes for SCHIP would be justified by the link between cigarettes and healthcare, which is not exactly a watertight argument since the vast majority of children served would not be smokers. Of course, efforts to find revenue sources for SCHIP, which currently faces a shortfall, are welcomed. Smith has not put forth specific legislation but says he wants to make clear that he's open to such a move, and Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) is said to be supportive.

But there are two problems with cigarette taxes. First, as is the case with sales taxes generally, they are highly regressive, taking a far greater percentage of income from poor households than the wealthy. Second, they are bound to be a declining revenue source. The value of the tax is reduced over time with inflation, and if smoking really does decline as a result of the tax increases, then the revenue also declines, leaving important health programs in a lurch. Of course, if the real purpose is simply to reduce smoking, then cigarette taxes can be quite effective in that regard. For more, see the ITEP policy brief on cigarette taxes.

Should Driving Cost Less or More?

Several states are grappling with how and whether gasoline should be taxed. In Indiana, House Democrats campaigned on a proposal to eliminate the state's sales tax on gasoline entirely, but this plan was cast aside because it was entirely too expensive to carry out. Instead, the House has passed a rather complicated bill this week that would remove the sales tax from gasoline only when the price rose to $2.25 a gallon or higher. This bill, which is certainly not efficiently targeted to those who might need help the most, is expected to cost the state $45 million a year and perhaps more in later years.

Some environmentalists argue that the total cost of fuel consumption needs to be increased, not lessened, by government policy. But even states that attempt to move in that direction are not necessarily going about it in a rational or efficient manner. Oregon is in the midst of a pilot mileage tax program where cars are equipped with mileage readers and a tax is calculated based on miles driven. Governor Tim Pawlenty in Minnesota has included money to study a similar initiative in his budget. This proposal creates privacy concerns and does not seem particularly helpful from an environmental perspective. It would treat both gas-guzzling SUVs and fuel-efficient hybrids the same, so long as they drove the same number of miles.

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