Nicholas Johnson

Johnson serves as Director of the State Fiscal Project, which works to develop strategies for long-term structural reform of state budget and tax systems, encourage low-income tax relief, and improve the way states prioritize funding.

Since joining the Center in 1996, Johnson’s research has included work on state Earned Income Tax Credits, the interaction of state and federal fiscal policy, tax and spending limits, trends in tax policy, and the role of state-level nonprofit organizations in improving fiscal policy.

In 2004 Mr. Johnson received the Ian Axford Fellowship in Public Policy, a program financed by the New Zealand government and administered by Fulbright New Zealand. Through this fellowship, he spent six months as an advisor to the New Zealand Treasury and the New Zealand Ministry of Social Development, conducting research on that country’s programs of tax relief and cash assistance for low-income families.

Nick’s analysis or commentary has been featured in the Washington Post, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, and numerous state and regional newspapers, and he has appeared as a guest on such television and radio programs as ABC's Nightline and National Public Radio's All Things Considered and the Diane Rehm Show, as well as Fox News, PBS, and BBC television.

He came to the Center from the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry, where he worked on rural development, food stamps, child nutrition, and related budget issues.

Johnson holds a graduate degree from Duke University's Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy.