Vermont rocketed past five other states during last fiscal year to lead the country with the highest state tax burden per resident, according to a recent U.S. Census Bureau report.
Vermont’s jump in rankings for the year ending last June 30 was the third biggest, after Alaska and North Dakota, but those states had plenty of company in adding revenue. In every state except New Hampshire, revenues per resident grew in fiscal year 2005.
Clicking on the link also shows the overall rankings for taxes paid per capita for each individual state. North Dakota ranks 21.
As I've mentioned before, North Dakota has an approximate $300 million dollar budget surplus, and by all indications that surplus is growing. Given that reality, there is absolutely no reason why North Dakotans a) need to have the amount of taxes they pay grow and b) need to be paying in the top half of taxes per citizen in the nation.
This state is battling out of a lackluster economy that saw workers leaving the state in droves. This is not the time to keep taxes high. Our leaders should cut tax burdens for North Dakotans so that our economy will continue to grow and attract both businesses and workers.
(via Taking Back ND)