The Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council released last Monday their 2012 Business Tax Index. There aren’t many surprises when you look at the list of best and worst (at least, for regular readers of this blog). The top seven states have no income tax on individuals. Meanwhile, the usual suspects (with one exception) are on the list of the bottom ten.
First, the top ten:
1. South Dakota
2. Texas
3. Nevada
4. Wyoming
5. Washington
6. Florida
7. Alaska
8. Alabama
9. Ohio
10. Colorado
The bottom ten has a lot of the usual high-tax “Blue” states:
42. Connecticut
43. Hawaii
44. Vermont
45. California
46. Maine
47. Iowa
48. New York
49. New Jersey
50. Minnesota
51. District of Columbia
I was surprised to see Minnesota so low on the list. Minnesota has a high capital gains tax rate; that, combined with its relatively high personal income tax rate, inheritance tax, and the state’s AMT, led to it being near the bottom of the list.
I also need to compliment Michigan. I’ve been down on the state–at times, saying it has been worse than California–but the SBEC ranks the Great Lakes State number 12. Under a Republican governor, Michigan has improved its tax policies.
For those wondering why I’m now in Nevada rather than California, this is just another measure of the problems with the Golden State. Governor Brown and Democrats in the state are discussing measures to further increase the state’s taxes. Well, there are six more spots to go before reaching the top (worst) position!
The SBEC has a nice interactive map showing the 50 states (plus DC); you can view the map here.
