It’s aggravating enough having to pay federal income taxes. Paying additional income tax to the state is even more annoying.
If you live in California, Oregon, Minnesota or New York, you’ll pay some of the steepest income taxes in the nation.
These nine states, however, have no state income tax as of 2018.
Alaska
The Last Frontier has no state income tax or sales tax, but it does allow some municipalities to levy sales taxes. Alaska’s coal mining and oil drilling operations bring in big tax revenues, however. Despite the state’s light tax burden, it is an expensive place to live, mostly because it is so remote.
Florida
In the absence of an income tax, the Sunshine State relies heavily on sales taxes and property taxes. Florida is a popular tax and retirement haven, but the cost of living is above average.
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Nevada
No need for an income tax in Nevada. The Silver State’s treasury collects half its revenue from above-average sales taxes and fees, much of it gambling-related. Las Vegas, for example, has a combined state, county and city sales tax of 8.25 percent.
New Hampshire
The Granite State doesn’t tax wage income and it has no sales tax, but it does collect a 5 percent tax on income and dividends that exceed $2,400 per individual annually, or $4,800 for joint filers. Some exemptions are available for elderly, blind and disabled residents.
South Dakota
Not only does the Mount Rushmore State not collect income taxes, its sales tax is only 4.5 percent, one of the lowest in the country. But municipalities can collect up to 2 percent on top of that. The state’s Department of Revenue collects a variety of “special” taxes, such as excise taxes on cigarettes, bank franchise taxes, and even a license fee for coin-operated laundromats.
Tennessee
Residents of the Volunteer State don’t have to pay state taxes on their wages. Tennessee does tax dividends and interest, but that tax, known as the “Hall Tax,” is being phased out and will be eliminated entirely by the 2022 tax year. The investment tax for 2018 is 3 percent. The state began collecting online sales taxes in July.
Texas
The Lone Star State does not have an income tax, but it does levy a state sales tax of 6.25 percent, and local jurisdictions can levy up to 2 percent in additional taxes, for a combined rate of 8.25 percent.
Washington
The Evergreen State remains in the no-income-tax fold, but it ranks fifth highest in the nation for sales taxes. A 6.5 percent state sales tax combined with city and/or municipal sales-tax rates that can hit as high as 3.9 percent combine for a whopping sales tax of potentially 10.4 percent. Washington, the home state of Amazon, began collecting online sales taxes on Oct. 1.
Wyoming
In addition to having no personal state income tax, the Equality State levies no corporate income tax. It does have a 4 percent sales tax and an average local sales tax of 1.46 percent, for a combined average sales tax rate of 5.46 percent.
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