Source: KETK TV
The Governor is travelling the country touting the advantages of living in the Lone Star State.
Of course, he’s right, but when it comes to taxes, it may or may not be true.
And now there’s a way to tell if Texas’ tax rate is really lower for you.
Of course most of us would live nowhere else.
But what if that dream job came up in a state with an income tax.
Is it necessarily worse?
We’re talking about this because, well, we’ve gotten ourselves in another spitting match with another state.
This time it’s Missouri.
Governor Perry is telling Missourans, and Marylanders too that they should move here for the low tax rate.
But the question arises, is it an apples to apples comparison.
The National Center for Policy Analysis is a conservative think tank in Dallas, and they have a new online calculator.
It tells you how you will fair on state taxes from state to state.
Let’s say you got a job offer in New York.
First, you’d go to a website comparing cost of living.
But you should also look at state taxes.
Let’s say you make $50,000 and have a 250,000 home.
It turns out, you come out ahead in New York.
That’s because sales and property taxes are so high in Texas.
But if you make $250,000, bingo. The calculus changes.
That’s because most income tax states have lower sales and property taxes.
But if you make more money, the income tax gets you.
Of course, 250,000 will get you an efficiency in New York, so there are a lot of factors.
So when planning that move or considering that job, you’ll need both calculators.
So, like a lot of things, it isn’t black and white.
An interesting exercise alright, but that job better be great to get most of us to leave.
The website is… whynotmove.org