Please note!
This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.
Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
Does a state control the taxing power of its cities?
Wednesday, August 26, 2020
By Allegra Taylor
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YES
Cities, towns and other municipalities are granted limited taxing power by their individual state constitutions, but that authority is subject to laws set out by state legislatures. This means that states can pass bills that modify or place new restrictions on cities’ taxing power.
Tax authority granted to local government bodies varies widely from state to state. Local governments are usually authorized to impose taxes on property, but some states allow their municipalities to collect income or sales taxes as well. No state uniformly authorizes its municipalities to collect all three: income, sales and property taxes.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
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ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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