Does Your State Have an Estate or Inheritance Tax?

In addition to the federal estate tax, with a top rate of 40 percent, some states levy an additional estate or inheritance tax. Twelve states and the District of Columbia impose estate taxes and six impose inheritance taxes. Maryland is the only state to impose both now that New Jersey has repealed its inheritance tax. Hawaii and Washington…

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Thin-Cap Rules in Europe

High-tax countries create an incentive for companies to finance investments with debt because interest payments are tax-deductible, which is usually not the case for equity costs. This encourages global businesses to lend money internally from entities in low-tax countries to entities in high-tax countries. Tax savings in high-tax countries can exceed the increased tax paid…

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Proposals to Lure Foreigners to Greece Highlight Need to Reform Property Taxes

High-net-worth individuals are being identified by tax policymakers these days in various ways. While Portugal recently approved a 10 percent tax on foreign pension income, putting an end to the tax-free regime for foreigners approved during the financial crisis, Greece is looking into attracting foreigners with tax reductions. In order to transfer their tax residency…

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Biden’s Proposal Would Shift the Distribution of Retirement Tax Benefits

Among Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s many tax proposals, one that has gotten less attention would modify how traditional retirement accounts are treated in the tax code. This proposal would shift some of the benefits of tax deferral in traditional retirement accounts toward lower- and middle-income earners with the goal of encouraging additional saving by…

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How High Are Property Taxes in Your State?

Today’s map takes another look at property taxes, this time focusing on states’ effective tax rates on owner-occupied housing. This is the average amount of residential property taxes actually paid, expressed as a percentage of home value. Because property taxes are tied to housing values, it makes sense that the actual dollar amounts of property…

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