Why are Nonpayers in Red States? September 21, 2012 William McBride William McBride More than a few are pointing to our map of nonpayers by state to show that the highest nonpayer percentages are in reliably Republican states, mainly in the South (Florida is an exception). This is put forth as some sort of conundrum, but the mystery is solved when one realizes that low-income earners tend to be nonpayers, and low-income earners also tend to live in red states. The same relationship is behind another seeming conundrum: the states benefitting most from the Bush tax cuts are solid blue states. The top five beneficiaries are Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts and California. Follow William McBride on Twitter @EconoWill Stay informed on the tax policies impacting you. Subscribe to get insights from our trusted experts delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe Share Tweet Share Email Topics Center for Federal Tax Policy Center for State Tax Policy Individual and Consumption Taxes Individual Income and Payroll Taxes Modeling Tax Proposals Tags George W. Bush
