Archive for November 21st, 2012

Which states have the lowest (and highest) incomes taxes?

November 21, 2012

I’m hearing increasing chatter about relocations to low tax tax states to offset the burst of Fed tax increases.

So, I checked out current state income tax rates.

Best data source I  found for state-by-state tax rates – income, sales, property, estate – is at BankRate.com

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Full list of state income tax rates is below …

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Zero income tax in 6 states

  • Alaska
  • Florida
  • Nevada
  • South Dakota
  • Texas
  • Washington

Alaska benefits from their oil industry;  Florida & Nevada rake in sales taxes from tourists.

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2 states tax interest & dividends, but not wages

  • New Hampshire: 5% on interest and dividend income. Wages are not taxed.
  • Tennessee: 6% on interest and dividend income. Wages are not taxed.

Say, what ?

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10 highest state tax rates

  • Hawaii: 11% on income over $200,000
  • Oregon: 11% on income over $250,000
  • California:10.55% on income over $1 million
  • Rhode Island: 9.9% on income over $373,650
  • District of Columbia: 8.5% on income over $40,000
  • Iowa: 8.98% on income over $63,315
  • New Jersey: 8.97% on income over $500,000
  • New York: 8.97% on income over $500,000
  • Vermont: 8.95% on income over $373,650
  • Maine: 8.5% on income over $20,150

All are blue states.  Coincidence?

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Here’s the full list, showing the highest income tax rate in each state
… and the income level that puts a taxpayer in the top bracket.

•Alabama: 5% on income over  $3,000
•Alaska: No income tax
•Arizona: 4.54% on income over $150,000
•Arkansas: 7% on income over  $32,600
•California:10.55% on income over $1 million
•Colorado: flat 4.63% of federal taxable income
•Connecticut: 6.5% on income over $500,000
•District of Columbia: 8.5% on income over $40,000 
•Delaware: 6.95% on income over $60,000
•Florida: No income tax
•Georgia: 6% on income over $7,000
•Hawaii: 11% on income over $200,000
•Idaho: 7.8% on income over $26,418
•Illinois: flat 3% of federal AGI with modifications
•Indiana: flat 3.4% of federal AGI with modifications
•Iowa: 8.98% on income over $63,315
•Kansas: 6.45% on income over $30,000
•Kentucky: 6% on income over $75,000
•Louisiana: 6% on income over $50,000
•Maine: 8.5% on income over $20,150
•Maryland: 6.25% on income over $1 millio
•Massachusetts: flat 5.3% on all income
•Michigan: flat 4.35% of federal AGI with modifications
•Minnesota: 7.85% on income over $74,780
•Mississippi: 5% on income over $10,000
•Missouri: 6% on income over $9,000
•Montana: 6.9% on income over $15,400
•Nebraska: 6.84% on income over $27,000
•Nevada: no income tax
•New Hampshire: 5% on interest and dividend income.  Wages are not taxed.
•New Jersey: 8.97% on income over $500,000
•New Mexico: 4.9% on income over $16,000
•New York: 8.97% on income over $500,000
•North Carolina: 7.75% on income over $60,000
•North Dakota: 4.86% on income over $373,650
•Ohio: 5.925% on income over $200,000
•Oklahoma: 5.5% on income over $8,700
•Oregon: 11% on income over $250,000
•Pennsylvania: flat 3.07% on all income
•Rhode Island: 9.9% on income over $373,650
•South Carolina: 7% on income over $13,700
•South Dakota: no income tax
•Tennessee: 6% on interest and dividend income.  Wages are not taxed.
•Texas: no income tax 
•Utah: flat 5% on all income
•Vermont: 8.95% on income over $373,650
•Virginia: 5.75% on income over $17,000
•Washington: no income tax
•West Virginia: 6.5% on income over $60,000
•Wisconsin: 7.75% on income over $225,000

Source

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Follow on Twitter @KenHoma

Amazon locker … old school or new school?

November 21, 2012

Punch line: In an effort to further connect digital with brick and mortar, Amazon is installing lockers in a number of retailers including Staples and Rite-Aid.

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Excerpted from brandchannel’s, “Amazon Puts the Hurt (Locker) on Competition”

Amazon Locker - image from WIRED

Heading into last year’s year-end holiday selling season, Amazon … felt some backlash when it provided an app that allowed consumers to find lower prices on any products they found at competing brick-and-mortar retailers.

This year, Amazon is finding plenty of new ways to corral consumers as the holiday seasons looms ever closer.

Staples, the largest U.S. office supply retailer, is planning to install Amazon-branded lockers in its stores that would allow consumers to have Amazon packages shipped to their stores for pick-up.

Amazon already has similar deals with a few grocery, convenience, and drug stores, including at select D’Agostino, Gristede and Rite-Aid stores in New York.

Edit by JDC
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Follow on Twitter @KenHoma

Filling movie theater seats … at a discount, of course.

November 21, 2012

DealFlicks.com offers movie goers lower prices for to fill seats that would otherwise go unused.

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Similar to the old Priceline hotel model, users select their neighborhood, movie and showing time, and once they’ve paid, the location of the theater is revealed.

Discounts range between an average of 40 and 60 percent off typical ticket prices.

Users can also take advantage of Super Deals – offering the greatest discounts – when they enter two possible screening times and allow DealFlicks to choose which one they see.

Fexible consumers benefit with large discounts.

Theaters benefit by selling more seats (and popcorn).

Source

Thanks to MC for feed the lead.
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Follow on Twitter @KenHoma