State income tax

States with no state income tax are in red, states taxing only dividend and interest income are in grey

State income tax is an income tax in the United States that is levied by each individual state. Some states choose to impose no income tax. These states are Alaska, Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming. Additionally, New Hampshire and Tennessee limit their state income taxes to dividends and interest income only. As of 2006, the highest rate of state income tax is that of Vermont, with a maximum rate of 9.5%. Of those states which enforce income tax, the lowest maximum rate is that of Illinois, which levies a flat tax of 3%. Most states have a progressive income tax, where the rate rises as an income gets larger. In California, for instance, the rate begins at 1% at $6,000 in income and rises to 9.3% over $39,000. In 2005, California added a mental health tax of 1% on incomes greater than $1,000,000, making the marginal income tax rate in California 10.3% at the extreme income ranges.

State income taxes are on top of the federal income tax, which currently tops out at 35%. Therefore, the maximum total rate is 35% of income in the states of Florida, Texas, and Washington, but 44.5% of income in Vermont and 44.3% in California. However, these figures do not reflect the fact that some state and local taxes (including state income taxes) are deductible for federal tax purposes. Due to Alternative Minimum Tax, or AMT, itemzation may not yield much, if any, tax savings on the federal return. For those not affected by AMT, the federal government effectively subsidizes a portion of an individual's state income tax.

In addition, some states allow cities to impose income taxes above and beyond the federal and state income taxes. An example is New York City, where there is both a state income tax of up to 7.7% and a city income tax, up to 5.82%. The maximum rate in the city limits of New York City (as of 2005) is therefore 48.52% (approximately one-half of marginal income), or 1.39 times the 35.0% rate (approximately one-third of marginal income) inside "federal income tax only" cities such as Seattle, Houston, Dallas, and Miami.

U.S. States without a personal income tax

Further information: Sales taxes in the United States

• Alaska – no tax on individuals but there is a state corporate income tax
• Florida – no tax on individuals but there is a state corporate income tax. Once had tax on "intangible personal property" held on the first day of the year (stocks, bonds, mutual funds, money market funds, etc.) but will be abolished starting in 2007. The Florida Constitution explicitly prohibits a personal income tax.
• Nevada
• New Hampshire – does have tax on interest and dividends, wages earned in other states, and wages earned by non-residents
• South Dakota
• Tennessee – does have tax on income from received from stocks and bonds not taxed ad valorem (Tenn Const Art II, §28). The Tennessee Supreme Court has held that a personal income tax is unconstitutional.
• Texas – in May 2006, passed a gross receipts tax on businesses. The Texas Constitution places severe restrictions on passage of a personal income tax and use of its proceeds.
• Washington – has a corporate tax called the "Business and Occupation Tax (B&O)"
• Wyoming

See also

• Income tax in the United States
• Sales taxes in the United States
• State tax levels
• Taxation in the United States

External links

• 'The Best and the Worst States for Taxes' - MSN Money
• State Individual Income Tax Rates - National Association of Tax Administrators
• Tax Links for All 50 States - AccountingMajors.com