New York ranked 50th for 'tax competitiveness' among U.S. states

New York ranks last in the U.S. for tax competitiveness.

Ahead of the April 15 tax day in the U.S., the Tax Foundation released a ranking of the best and worst U.S. states when it comes to taxes. Not surprisingly, New York, New Jersey and California ranked at the very bottom, while Wyoming, South Dakota and New Hampshire led the way in what the organization calls "tax competitiveness."

The ranking is part of the Tax Foundation's State Tax Competitive Index, which measures each state on 150 tax variables, including things like corporate taxes, individual income taxes and wealth taxes, among others. As you can see in the screen shot below, Wyoming, South Dakota, New Hampshire, Alaska, and Florida are the best states in the U.S. in terms of tax competitiveness, meaning they have the least onerous tax policies. Each of those states is headed by a Republican governor. 

At the other end of the index are the states with the most onerous tax policies. In this case, the bottom five actually consists of four states and the District of Columbia. Connecticut ranked 47th on the index, California and Washington, D.C. tied at 48th, New Jersey ranked 49th, and New York had the dubious distinction of ranking 50th on the index, with the worst overall tax policies for its citizens and corporations based there, according to the Tax Foundation's formula. All four of those states are led by Democrat governors, and the mayor of Washington, D.C., is also a Democrat.

True to form, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul this week proposed yet another tax for her state, targeting wealthier citizens in New York City. According to The New York Post, Hochul floated adding a new tax for any New Yorker who owns a second home worth $5 million or more. “If you can afford a multimillion-dollar second home in New York City, you can afford to join its residents in supporting the greatest city in the world,” Hochul said without specifying the amount of the proposed tax. The idea was met with swift opposition -- except from New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Mamdani on Wednesday amplified the governor's proposal in a post on X, saying, "We will be taxing the ultra-wealthy and global elites."

Dave Rubin, who frequently advocates for reduced taxes, on Tuesday's episode of The Rubin Report unveiled a new T-shirt meant to rally support among those who feel overtaxed by the government. Dave debuted his "Defund the IRS" T-shirt, which can be picked up at The Rubin Report merch store.