How to lie with statistics: What states have the heaviest and lightest tax burdens in the nation?
Residents of Hawaii, Wyoming and Connecticut shoulder the heaviest state tax burdens in the nation. The least state taxes per person are paid by those living in Texas, South Dakota or Colorado, U.S. Census figures for 2004 show. Hawaii topped the list with taxes averaging $3,048 per person, more than double the per-capita rate in last-place Texas, which collected $1,367 for every man, woman and child . . . Because the Census numbers don’t include tax levies by local governments, which often pick up certain state services, economists say a better measure of tax burdens nationwide is a snapshot of both state and local tax collections. The main reason Hawaii ranked No. 1 in the Census report is that public school education, covered largely by local government in other states, is strictly a state service. Kathleen Murphy, “Is your state tax-friendly?” Stateline, May 7, 2005 — http://www.stateline.org/live/ViewPage.action?siteNodeId=136&languageId=1&contentId=28297 Jensen Comment: There a
