Hey, Republicans: run on abolishing state income taxes this year!

[mystery-ak]

Hey, Republicans: run on abolishing state income taxes this year!

Republicans have an opportunity to stop playing defense on the economy, creating an environment where Donald Trump’s broader economic agenda could be felt more fully.

Joseph Ford Cotto | February 3, 2026

For millions of Americans, the cost of living feels less like an abstract economic trend and more like a daily penalty for where they live.

Rent, groceries, energy, and taxes keep climbing in the same states, year after year. Meanwhile, other parts of the country move ahead with steadier prices, stronger job growth, and rising incomes. That divide is not accidental. It is the product of policy, and state income taxes sit squarely at the center of it.

As the midterms approach, Republicans have an opportunity to stop playing defense on the economy.

They should start naming the single most powerful reform still left on the table: abolishing state income taxes. Doing so would not only sharpen the contrast between red and blue governance. It would allow Donald Trump’s broader economic agenda to be felt more fully, rather than continually blunted by high-tax states that now weigh down national growth.

A January analysis from the White House Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) examined the economic impact of eliminating state income taxes using federal data and state-by-state modeling. The results confirm what Americans already react to with their feet.

States without broad personal income taxes, including Florida, Texas, Tennessee, and others, consistently outperform high-tax peers in gross domestic product (GDP) growth and domestic migration. Five of the nine no-income-tax states rank in the top ten for GDP growth, while four rank in the top ten for net migration.

High-income-tax states show the opposite pattern.

more
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2026/02/hey_republicans_run_on_abolishing_state_income_taxes_this_year.html

[DefiantMassRINO]

Become a serf of the Swamp ... what a great idea for tyranny to take root.   

[The_Reader_David]

Stupid idea.  State taxes are a state matter, they cannot be made into an issue for the mid-term elections at the Federal level.  The author seems to have fallen into Trump's delusion that the states are subject to the Federal government, rather than having their own domain of sovereignty.  (Someone send him a copy of the 10th Amendment and explain it to him.  For that matter, could someone explain the whole Bill of Rights to him?  Maybe emphasizing the 1st, 2nd, 5th and 10th Amendments.)

[MeganC]

Stupid idea.  State taxes are a state matter, they cannot be made into an issue for the mid-term elections at the Federal level.  The author seems to have fallen into Trump's delusion that the states are subject to the Federal government, rather than having their own domain of sovereignty.  (Someone send him a copy of the 10th Amendment and explain it to him.  For that matter, could someone explain the whole Bill of Rights to him?  Maybe emphasizing the 1st, 2nd, 5th and 10th Amendments.)

Reading comprehension for the win. 

Abolishing state income taxes would be done by Republicans who run for statewide offices. No where in the article is there a suggestion that Congress can or should do this.

[mountaineer]

My governor wants to cut the income tax in our state. That's because the state income tax is the legitimate concern of the state legislature and him - not Congress. Is this writer really that unaware?

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

Abolish the sttate income tax and fund everything with property taxes, which is basically a wealth tax on unrealized gains. Basically the state/local government charges you rent on property you own.

They get you coming or going, basically. With state income taxes, you can collect those using your state as a shopping mall.

Use taxes might be nice but politically, they have trouble doing it for whatever reason.

[MeganC]

My governor wants to cut the income tax in our state. That's because the state income tax is the legitimate concern of the state legislature and him - not Congress. Is this writer really that unaware?

You missed my post:

Reading comprehension for the win. 

Abolishing state income taxes would be done by Republicans who run for statewide offices. No where in the article is there a suggestion that Congress can or should do this.

[Hoodat]

Republicans have already done the opposite by subsidizing taxpayers in high-tax states with bigger deductions.  A person earning $100k in Florida or Texas now pays more in federal income taxes than a person living in California or New York.

Thanks a lot, Republicans.  Once again, doing the Democrats' bidding for them.