Choosing to reside in a state with low tax rates can be an effective way to reduce your cost of living, often by a double digit percentage. State taxes come in a variety of forms, including income, sales, real estate, and personal property taxes. All states charge at least one of these taxes, and most charge all four to varying degrees. Your lifestyle will often dictate which type of tax is most critical for consideration when evaluating where to live. In this article, I’m going to present four states that offer different tax benefits for residents.
Alaska
Alaska has the lowest overall tax burden per resident of any state in the Union. Alaska is one of only two states that has neither a state income tax nor a state sales tax. Local municipalities in Alaska are allowed to levy their own local sales taxes, which can be as high as 7.5 percent, although many towns do not levy a sales tax. Alaskan property taxes are on par with the national average. Because of oil revenues to the state, Alaska is the only state that actually pays residents for living there. Alaska Permanent Fund Dividends vary each year, and were $878 per eligible resident in 2012.
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is the other state with no state sales tax and no state tax on ordinary income. The state does levy a tax on dividends and capital gains, so individuals who earn … Read the rest