New Hampshire Has One of the Lowest Overall Tax Burdens in the Nation (Again!) - Granite Grok

New Hampshire Has One of the Lowest Overall Tax Burdens in the Nation (Again!)

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The New Hampshire House just cut some taxes. Whether the Senate and governor will concur remains to be seen, but while we wait, chew on this. Despite having a high property tax burden, the Granite State has one of the lowest overall tax burdens in the nation (again).

Related: “Ax The Property Tax” and Replace it With What?

That’s the total cost of the government. How much they take regardless of how it is done.

 

Unlike tax rates, which vary widely based on an individual’s circumstances, tax burden measures the proportion of total personal income that residents pay toward state and local taxes.

 

New Hampshire ranked 46 out of 50, with Alaska taking the prize with the lowest tax burden. Connecticut came in 5th worst, Main 4th, Vermont 3rd, and New York was the worst.

Hawaii was number 2 (nowhere near New Hampshire), Rhode Island is 8th worst, with  Massachusetts – the only New England state not among the ten worst – checking in at twenty-one.

The Granite State is an island of sanity with a distinct New Hampshire advantage.

 

(interactive map – hover over states to see their rank 1 = highest 50 = lowest)

Source: WalletHub

 

How does a state with the highest average property tax burden manage to maintain – year after year – a low overall tax burden?

There’s no obvious connection between higher property taxes and lower overall tax burden.

Vermont is number 2 for highest property tax burden and number three overall for highest tax burden. Maine is #4 for high property tax and #4 for total tax burden.

Of the top five states with the highest total overall tax burden, only Hawaii is not one of the top seven for greatest property tax burden.

What’s the secret sauce?

The same as it always was; smaller government, less spending, more local control, the opposite of everything the Democrats want for New Hampshire and America.

Leave more things up to the people, and they will have more money in their pocket with which to exercise those rights.

In New Hampshire (with the aid of other pro-liberty positions), that has also led to above-average incomes and living standards, better overall quality of life and health, and low crime rates.

Democrat-run states and cities are consistently on the opposite end of these spectrums despite taking more from you, more often, under the assumption that they can better provide, but always coming up short.

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