Connecticut Residents Work 6 Weeks Longer Than Louisianans to Pay Taxes

But hey, you can't beat commuting on Interstate 95, right?

numberstumper / Foter / CC BY-SA

Is that 1040 form still emanating menace from its spot on your kitchen counter? Here's something to think about as you prepare to render unto Caesar, or contemplate the lucre already surrendered. Ten days from now, residents of New Orleans or Baton Rouge will, on average, have finally finished working on behalf of federal, state, and local government officials and start taking home some money for themselves. But pity their counterparts in Hartford and Stamford who will continue to labor away for Leviathan for almost another six weeks before beginning to personally enjoy the fruits of their labor.

According to the Tax Foundation's handy Facts & Figures report, Tax Freedom Day, which "represents how long Americans as a whole work into the year before they have earned enough money to pay all federal, state, and local taxes for the year," fell on March 30 in Louisiana in 2014, but didn't land in Connecticut until May 9. All other states, and the District of Columbia, fell between them.

By and large, the order in which Tax Freedom Day strikes offers few surprises; those with dates pushing into May are made up of the usual suspects—high-tax jurisdictions that mercilessly milk their suffering residents. Joining Connecticut in celebrating Tax Freedom Day on May 9 is New Jersey. New Yorkers receive their reprieve on May 4. Californians begin to work for themselves after April 30, the day after Massachusetts and Minnesota.

At the other end of the spectrum are Louisiana with Tax Freedom Day on March 30, Mississippi on April 2, South Dakota on April 4, and Tennessee on April 5.

The average for the country as a whole was April 21.

Tax Freedom Day rankings square unsurprisingly well with overall measures of state and local tax burden. The five highest taxed states, reports the Tax Foundation, are New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, California, and Wisconsin. Wyoming, Alaska, South Dakota, Texas, and Louisiana are the least burdensome.

Business tax climate also corresponds closely with Tax Freedom Day. The states least favorable to business are New Jersey, New York, California, Minnesota, and Vermont. By contrast, Wyoming, South Dakota, Nevada, Alaska, and Florida hold the top spots.

But hey, you can't beat commuting on Interstate 95, right? It's certainly worth every penny you're paying.

Facts & Figures 2015: How Does Your State Compare? from Tax Foundation

Comments

[DesigNate]

You know what's awesome?

Having your wife's employer drop insurance (they didn't pay for any of it, just got part-time employees a good deal on the premium) because "it no longer complies with the standards set by the PPACA", and then having the motherfucking government say "Oh look, you made an extra $7,500 last year. We'll be fucking you in the ass now."

Even better is the same government fucking up the insurance market so much that a comparable plan to what you did have being almost twice as expensive. So hello subsidy. Oh, no, I'm sorry, you made an extra $7,500 last year and we think you should have gone with a shittier plan so we're going to need you to pay some of that subsidy back.

In conclusion. Fuck taxes. Fuck Obamacare. And fuck anyone that supports that flaming piece of dog shit.

/end rant

[tarran]

That's what is so pernicious about mean-tested subsidies. There is always, and I mean always, a penalty for doing better.

[DesigNate]

What's especially awesome is that our income level didn't change at all. She worked the same number of hours (roughly) that she did in 2013 and I didn't get a raise or any kind of bonus. We are only being fucked because the income that went to insurance before was pre-tax and now it's post-tax.

I mean, we figured it was coming, but it still sucks.

[Raston Bot]

Just remember that you're paying extra so someone else doesn't have to. That helps cope, I'm told.

[sahicnavincjhoe]

I've made $64,000 so far this year working online and I'm a full time student. I'm using an online business opportunity I heard about and I've made such great money. It's really user friendly and I'm just so happy that I found out about it. Heres what I've been doing
http://www.work-cash.com

[craiginmass]

"Even better is the same government fucking up the insurance market so much that a comparable plan to what you did have being almost twice as expensive"

Right - and this is why every single statistic from any source shows the the cost of health care on the per person per year basis has vastly slowed as compared to the "hands off" market under King Bush.

Facts don't matter. All that matters is your personal stories or the worst one you hear somewhere. Those thousands of people alive and healthy - and the many millions benefitting in other ways...they don't count. Only you and your opinion. Each man is an island.

All you guys remind me of those sitting in a Casino and only paying attention to those who win. It seems to never enter their mind that someone had to build the place, air condition and heat it and staff it - and that - sooner or later - they were going to have to pay the bill.

So it is with health care. Under Bushie the cost skyrocketed from 5K per person per year to 8.6K per person per year. That means if you have a family of 4 and aren't somehow putting in $34K per YEAR on average, you are gaming the system (obviously this is spread out, but someone is paying)....

I think y'all liked it better when the Fed Gov. just added it all to the debt and deficit and that way you could yell about the debt too.......

Someday you'll learn math.

[Reverend Draco]

Here's the math.

Our health insurance premiums have gone up by over 150% in the last 2 years.

Spin it however you like - you cretins always do - but the math doesn't lie.

Back under your rock.

[Happy Chandler]

The five states that have the latest dates are five of the richest states in the country. The five with the earliest dates are five of the poorest. I know correlation doesn't imply causation, but still, it's a hell of a coincidence. If you want to be rich, live in a high tax state?

[Florida Man]

Did you adjust for cost of living?

[Florida Man]

Also, parasites seek out a host. Where there is wealth, there will be people to steal it.

[Happy Chandler]

Connecticut, New York, California, etc have had much higher taxes for a long time. Mississippi, Louisiana, etc. have had much lower taxes. You'd think by now the rich people would have figured that out and moved to these business havens. They must be idiots to not realize how business unfriendly those states are!
Or maybe, businesses are better aided by infrastructure, high-quality universities, and the amenities that attract liberals than they are by what the Southern states have to offer.

[DaveSs]

You are aware that people are moving, in droves.

Biggest gains in population are the South and West, both in percentage and raw numbers.

In the last 34 years about we added 95 million Americans. New York only got 2million of them. Texas got 12 million, FL got 10 million

35 years ago NY was the 2nd most populous state. Today its #4

[craiginmass]

Hah Ha - they are moving only after Starbucks, Trader Joes, WaWa, Whole Foods and all their other things are there for them...or they are retiring to warm weather with their money made from up North.

Or, they are selling real estate or services to people who made money at REAL jobs and work up north.

It's well known in Florida that if you don't come here with money or a pre-arranged job with your employers, you are basically gonna work for $8 an hour and live in a trailer park (if you can afford that).

That sheds a different light on things. Sure - we northerners are gonna put in A/C, move all our amenities down here and bring our liberal culture. That includes higher taxes and civilization that comes with it.

Check out the very important Florida counties around Tampa Bay...carefully. You will note they are quickly turning from bright red to pink to purple...and now to blue.

Even the folks who move here chuckle about it.....that is, the natives are a bit funny.....meth heads, drunks, possum-eaters, crackers, etc.

Of course, now we are starting to have generations of sane and civilized folks - most all originating from those bad bad liberal areas. I talk to many of them. It's not just the weather than attracted them, but Reagonomics screwed them and their families in the former manufacturing states and cities of the midwest. No more decent jobs up there. If you are gonna struggle, better to do so without needing heat 6 months per year.

[Sudden]

Post hoc ergo propter hoc

[craiginmass]

"The five states that have the latest dates are five of the richest states in the country. The five with the earliest dates are five of the poorest. I know correlation doesn't imply causation, but still, it's a hell of a coincidence. If you want to be rich, live in a high tax state?"

Totally correlation - spend more money on civilization and you have more of a civilized place. This is true, in general, in Europe and all over the USA.....

You may find some seeming exception to the rule - but generally you get what you pay for.

[UnCivilServant]

Is that 1040 form still emanating menace from its spot on your kitchen counter?

No, I e-filed a month ago. I have what little shred of my money back that I could get from the feds and state.

[Sudden]

I haven't done mine yet. I'll have to cut a check for something around $2k to the federales so I'm waiting until 4/14 to send that shit in so those fuckers have my money for less time.

[UnCivilServant]

If the math said I was going to be forced to pay more, I'd do the same, but the math said that I could eke something back.

[bassjoe]

At least I-95 is decently paved... have you BEEN on the roads in Louisiana?

Only slightly sarcastic...

[KDN]

95 is. The other roads in the NE, not so much.

[RealCrankyYankee]

If Connecticut is one of the richest states, why do we have the worst roads? The potholes are tearing apart my fucking car. Plus, its fucking snowing again right now on the first day of spring!!!

A client from Arizona visited our office recently and noted the terrible roads. His first question was "is this a democratic town? state?" Yes Yes Yes - can't get more blue than CT

[Happy Chandler]

Arizona has a lot less snow, ice, and road salt.

[Alan Vanneman]

Upon reading this, zero Reasonettes move to Louisiana.

[craiginmass]

Maybe we can all aspire to have the amount of poverty, dead babies, stupid people and other attributes of these "freedoms".......

LA. usually ranks in the worst 2-5 states in EVERYTHING - in many cases well behind 3rd world countries. It's an embarrassment to a civilized people and country...

Do you really think this is a decision taken "by the people"? or is it the vestiges of slavery, sharecropping, colonialism and corruptions.

Thanks, but I'll take civilization over crime and poverty (yeah, they are high crime also) any day of the week.

Whoever thought up this "filler" piece is certainly not "reasonable". As with most libertarian POVs, this one starts with a conclusion and then throws out some snarky references (I-95) to show why this must be true. Such articles could only be believed as true by those of low IQ.

[Reverend Draco]

Just remember, when you "render unto Caesar," that Caesar has nothing which was not first stolen from it's rightful owner. . . and that theft has never been considered - by sane people - to be a valid transfer of ownership.