Press Release

New Report Analyzes Governors’ State-of-the-State Addresses

New Report Analyzes Governors’ State-of-the-State Addresses

Trends in Tax, Budget and Pension Proposals Reveal States’ Focus on Protecting Taxpayers

Arlington, VA (June 11, 2015)—The governors of Kansas and Maine announced plans to phase out and eventually eliminate their state personal income tax, joining nine others who have experienced significant economic growth by avoiding an income tax, according to the new report, State of the States: An Analysis of the 2015 Governors’ Addresses, released today by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). This year, there were 14 states that proposed cutting taxes of some kind without any tax increases, seven that proposed both tax cuts and tax increases, and nine that proposed just tax increases. That means there were 21 states that proposed tax cuts of some kind and 16 that proposed tax increases of some kind.

Written by Jonathan Williams and Theodore Lafferty of the ALEC Center for State Fiscal Reform, the report reveals which states will create economic opportunity from the proposed tax, budget and pension reforms.

“It is always encouraging to see governors propose changes that will protect their hardworking taxpayers,” said Jonathan Williams, Vice President of the ALEC Center for State Fiscal Reform. “It is especially encouraging to find so many governors looking to reduce personal income and business taxes in order to foster economic opportunity in their respective states.”

The report’s state-by-state analysis includes governors’ proposals to balance state budgets, strategies to streamline government, willingness to engage in pension reform, and consideration of fundamental tax reform.

To download a copy of State of the States and to see individual state summaries, visit http://www.alec.org/publications/2015sots/.