State Tax Cut Roundup: 2015 Legislative Session

The 2015 legislative session featured a notable number of states achieving tax relief and tax reform for their citizens. Pro-growth tax reform was a key theme throughout the 2015 legislative session, as many states took steps to improve their economic competitiveness. In this past legislative session, 17 states substantially reduced their tax burdens. The 8th edition of Rich States, Poor States: ALEC-Laffer State Economic Competitiveness Index is a great guide to which tax and fiscal policies lead states to prosper and others to fall behind. Overall, the economic evidence strongly suggests that states with lower tax burdens and more economic freedom regularly outperform their higher tax and more restrictive counterparts.

Four states—Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Wisconsin—have qualified for all three editions of the State Tax Cut Roundup. Nine of the 17 states have qualified once previously, while 21 states have yet to qualify.