Today the Arizona legislature is expected to vote for passage of Republican governor Doug Ducey’s 2.5% flat rate income tax for those who make less than $500,000. The plan also caps income taxes at 4.5% for higher income taxpayers. Because of a successful ballot initiative (Prop 208) last year, which imposed a 3.5% personal income tax surcharge, the income tax rate had risen this year to 8% – erasing more than two decades of tax reduction improvements. Reducing the rate to 4.5% means the highest income tax rate will be cut nearly in half.
CTUP economists have been active in working with Gov. Ducey and the legislature both in designing and selling the tax plan. Our new study finds that the plan will create 250,000 additional jobs over the next decade while raising Arizona household income by more than $7,000. It means that the highest income tax rate in Arizona will now be one-third as high as the rate in its western neighbor – California.
2) Ten States With Highest Unemployment Rates All With Democratic Governors
Here we go again. Every one of the states with an unemployment rate of 7% or more in May were all states with Democratic governors, according to the data released yesterday from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Highest State Unemployment Rates in May
1) Hawaii 8.1%
2) New Mexico 8.0%
3) California 7.9%
4) Nevada 7.8%
5) Connecticut 7.7%
6) Washington DC 7.2%
7) New Jersey 7.2%
8) Louisiana 7.1%
9) Illinois 7.1%
10) Pennsylvania 7%
More prima facie evidence that Blue State America is melting down.