Taxes

Washington State Budget & Policy Center: Washington state no longer has worst tax code in U.S.

This press release does it all: Promotes the win, uses the effective “upside down” metaphor to explain a complex topic, connects revenue to wellbeing and community prosperity, and leans into Washington’s image of itself to say – “we can do even better.”   Check out the press release

ITEP: Who Pays?

Kudos to Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy for the 7th edition of their comprehensive analysis of tax systems in all  50 states. Connecting “upside down taxes” to wealth inequality is an excellent way to explain a complex topic like regressive taxation. Access the Report and State-by-State Data

Tax Justice Wins in Washington State: A Narrative Perspective

#Taxday2023 was a day to celebrate hard fought victories for tax justice in Washington State. Last month, the Washington State Supreme Court upheld the state’s capital gains excise tax, passed in the legislature in 2021. An added plus –  Washington’s Working Families Tax Credit was finally made available to all state tax filers this year. […]

We Make the Future: Fund Our Future

In collaboration with the State Revenue Alliance, We Make the Future shares digital toolkits, research findings, messaging implementation, and more on revenue and making the case for well-funded public systems. Our shared vision for overcoming and recovering from the pandemic centers interventions that make life better for families. Our partners desire to build a world […]

Darrick Hamilton, Rebecca Dixon, Rachel Isacoff: Unconditional Cash and Good Working Conditions – Do we have to choose?

The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) is considered one of the most effective programs for reducing child poverty and promoting economic stability among low-wage families. But there is a suite of benefits that is needed to support workers in their daily lives, like paid leave and minimum wage, that rely on a progressive tax system. […]

Topos: Taxlandia – Putting the Strategy into Words

  This Topos toolkit is designed to demonstrate the various ways advocates across issue areas can phrase the big ideas behind the strategies to build public will for revenue, leading to a paradigm shift in public understanding.   Access the Toolkit  

Topos: A Teaching Moment from Kansas

Topos research in Kansas points to the opportunity to nurture a cultural shift in Americans’ thinking about taxes and spending that is less reflexively negative and which instead stresses that broadly shared prosperity, quality of life, and a thriving nation rely on effective government, so we all have a stake in ensuring sufficient, sustainable revenues […]

Topos: Public Will Initiative’s Budget and Tax Message Brief

This brief document synthesizes Topos’ learnings on how Americans think about Government and how to use framing effectively to promote constructive engagement with the public sector across advocacy issue areas—in particular, budget and tax policy. Read the PDF

Frameworks Institute: Talking about Budgets and Taxes

This toolkit features a compendium of research on how Americans think about budgets and taxes, and how to increase public support for policies that support reforms to the budgeting process and tax system. Access the Toolkit  

Topos: Taxlandia: Project Summary

This multipart research effort by Topos serves as a detailed map of the cultural understandings that influence public debate on taxes and budgets. To build public support for progressive tax policy, Topos’ research points to the need for an explanatory model anchored by a vivid metaphor. In short, the tax system is upside-down – it […]