State-Local Tax Burdens Higher on Individuals Living in Blue States

By Susan Duclos

For decades Democrats (blue) have been referred to by Republicans (red) as the  "tax and spend" party. A CNS News report evidences that tax part of that equation quite succinctly:

 Workers in New York pay the highest in local and state taxes, while workers in Alaska pay the least, according to data released by the Tax Foundation today. According to Gallup, New York is among the top 10 Democratic states, and Alaska leans Republican although it is not in the top 10 Republican states.

In its report on “State and Local Tax Burdens as a Percentage of State Income” for fiscal year 2010, the Tax Foundation estimated “the combined state and local tax burden shouldered by the residents of each of the fifty states” and ranked them.

The top 10 states with the highest tax burdens as a percentage of state income are as follows:

1. New York, 12.8 percent
2. New Jersey, 12.4 percent
3. Connecticut, 12.3 percent
4. California, 11.2 percent
5. Wisconsin, 11.1 percent
6. Rhode Island, 10.9 percent
7. Minnesota, 10.8 percent
8. Massachusetts, 10.4 percent
9. Maine, 10.3 percent
10. Pennsylvania, 10.2 percent

The top 10 states with the lowest tax burdens as a percentage of state income are as follows:

1. Alaska, 7.0 percent
2. South Dakota, 7.6 percent
3. Tennessee, 7.7 percent
4. Louisiana, 7.8 percent
5. Wyoming, 7.8 percent
6. Texas, 7.9 percent
7. New Hampshire, 8.1 percent
8. Alabama, 8.2 percent
9. Nevada, 8.2 percent
10. South Carolina, 8.4 percent

A couple other interesting red state/blue state comparisons resulting from the differences in Republican vs Democratic policies.

Red states are more charitable than blue states, via Politico.

Red states are getting richer than blue states, via The Blaze.

Economy: Blue States Worse Than Red Under Obama, via Investors Business Daily.

Green jobs are growing faster in red states than in blue states, via Sustainable Business.