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Report: Mass. Tax Burden In Middle Of Pack

(Courtesy of the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center)
(Courtesy of the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center)

The tax burden in Massachusetts is in the middle of the pack among states, according to a data released Wednesday.

Citing figures released by the U.S. Census Bureau, the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center concluded that 24 states have higher levels of taxation and 25 states have lower levels of taxation than Massachusetts.

Measuring taxes as a percentage of personal income, which MassBudget says is the most accurate way to compare tax burdens across states, the group found that state and local taxes in Massachusetts during fiscal 2010 accounted for 10.2 percent of the total income earned in the state, compared to the national average of 10.6 percent.

Massachusetts politicians and residents have engaged in a seemingly endless debate over whether the state still deserves to be called "Taxachusetts," with some arguing that tax cuts, credits and breaks extended over the past 20 years have rid the state of the label, while others argue that taxes here are still too high in the face of state and local regulations and the state's reputation as a high cost place to do business.

This program aired on September 26, 2012. The audio for this program is not available.

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