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Monday, August 15, 2011
Hawaii residents work 216 days to pay full cost of government
By Americans for Tax Reform @ 12:51 PM :: 8060 Views :: Energy, Environment, National News, Ethics

From Americans for Tax Reform

Every year, Americans for Tax Reform Foundation publishes its Cost of Government Day report, which calculates the day on the calendar year until which the average American must work to pay for the full costs of government spending and regulation. The study is available online at www.CostOfGovernmentDay.com “Highlights” of the report are as follows:

  • Overall government burden: This year, Cost of Government Day falls on August 12, meaning Americans labor a full 224 days into the year to pay for local, state and federal government spending and regulations.
  • Impact of Obama overspending: Americans have lost 29 days of the calendar year thanks to Obama’s overspending and regulatory zeal. 2011 marks the third straight year COGD has fallen in August. Prior to the Obama Administration, COGD had never fallen later than July 21.
  • Stimulus, bailouts, and federal spending: The effects of the bailouts and failed “stimulus” plan are still being felt by Americans, who must work a full 103 days to pay for the costs of federal spending.
  • State and local government spending: Americans spend 44 days working to pay off state and local government spending.
  • Regulatory burden of Obamacare and Dodd-Frank: Americans are forced to labor 77 days to pay for total federal regulations, a workload that will increase exponentially with the implementation of the Dodd-Frank financial regulatory bill and Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, known more popularly as Obamacare.
  • Cost of Government Day in the fifty states: The report also measures varying government burdens in each state to calculate their respective state Cost of Government Day. As in past years, taxpayers in Connecticut must work the latest to celebrate their COGD, laboring all the way until September 10 to pay off the full costs of government. Taxpayers in Mississippi worked the shortest amount of time to pay off their burden off government, laboring until July 19.
  • Case Studies: The report also details the impact on COGD of many factors in the growing cost of government. Case studies in the report discuss: The Dodd-Frank financial regulatory overhaul which will severely increase the number of days Americans must work to pay off the regulatory burden; Obamacare, which will fail to rein in health care costs and continue to increase federal spending; The EPA, which has pursued an aggressive regulatory agenda that will further stall economic recovery.

State-by-State Breakdown

The calculation of the Cost of Government Day for each state is based on the varying government burdens suffered in each state. Federal tax and spending burdens are large contributing factors. These federal burdens vary because relatively higher burdens are borne by states with relatively higher incomes. State and local tax and spending burdens vary as well.

As in previous years, the latest Cost of Government Day is in Connecticut, with the average worker toiling all the way until September 10 (twenty nine days past the national average) to pay off all the costs of government. The dubious honor of second place is held by New Jersey, with COGD falling on September 6. New York follows right behind on August 30, with Maryland maintaining fourth place for the second year in a row at August 20.

Mississippi 3 1 200 19-Jul
Tennessee 6 2 201 20-Jul
Louisiana 10 3 204 23-Jul
New Mexico 6 4 207 26-Jul
South Dakota 4 4 207 26-Jul
West Virginia 6 4 207 26-Jul
Alabama 8 8 210 29-Jul
Arizona 14 8 210 29-Jul
Kentucky 10 8 210 29-Jul
Nevada 8 8 210 29-Jul
Oklahoma 21 8 210 29-Jul
Alaska 1 13 211 30-Jul
Arkansas 10 13 211 30-Jul
Georgia 27 13 211 30-Jul
Idaho 27 13 211 30-Jul
Maine 14 17 213 1-Aug
Missouri 14 17 213 1-Aug
Indiana 21 19 214 2-Aug
Montana 18 19 214 2-Aug
Hawaii 32 21 216 4-Aug
Iowa 14 21 216 4-Aug
North Carolina 24 21 216 4-Aug
Ohio 27 21 216 4-Aug
Michigan 27 25 217 5-Aug
Texas 18 25 217 5-Aug
Colorado 33 27 219 7-Aug
Oregon 27 27 219 7-Aug
New Hampshire 21 29 220 8-Aug
Delaware 33 30 221 9-Aug
Kansas 24 30 221 9-Aug
Utah 35 30 221 9-Aug
Vermont 40 30 221 9-Aug
Florida 18 34 223 11-Aug
North Dakota 10 34 223 11-Aug
National Average - - 224 12-Aug
Nebraska 24 36 224 12-Aug
Virginia 40 36 224 12-Aug
Rhode Island 38 38 226 14-Aug
Wyoming 35 38 226 14-Aug
Massachusetts 44 40 227 15-Aug
Pennsylvania 40 40 227 15-Aug
Illinois 35 42 229 17-Aug
California 44 43 230 18-Aug
Minnesota 40 43 230 18-Aug
Washington 46 43 230 18-Aug
Wisconsin 38 43 230 18-Aug
District of Columbia - - 230 18-Aug
Maryland 47 47 232 20-Aug
New York 48 48 242 30-Aug
New Jersey 49 49 249 6-Sep
Connecticut 50 50 253 10-Sep
         

In addition to showing state rankings for COGD in 2011, the largest changes in cost of government days and overall ranking since 2010 are highlighted.

  Top 5 2011 Increases COGD by Rank   5 Largest COGD Increases Relative to National Average
North Dakota 24 Alaska 11
Florida 16 North Dakota 8
Alaska 12 Florida 7
Nebraska 12 Louisiana 6
New Hampshire 8 Nebraska 5

 

  Top 5 2011 Decreases COGD by Rank   5 Largest COGD Decreases Relative to National Average
Georgia -14 Georgia -10
Idaho -14 Idaho -10
Oklahoma -13 South Carolina -10
Hawaii -11 Tennessee -10
Vermont -10 Oklahoma/Vermont -8

MORE INFO: www.CostOfGovernmentDay.com

 

Hawaii 2011 Cost of Government Day: August 4, 2011

Hawaii residents have to work 216 days to pay the full cost of government

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