Budget & Tax

Which governors are leading on tax, spending issues?

July 17, 2017

Curtis Shelton

ALEC recently released its State of the States 2017 report, which analyzes economic policy proposals in governors’ state of the state addresses from across the country. It includes a “best of the best” and “worst of the worst” list, each featuring six governors.

This year’s best of the best includes North Dakota, Missouri, Maine, Connecticut, Nebraska, and Vermont--a diverse group of states. The governor in each of these states called for some kind of substantive tax and spending reform that would either make government more efficient, less burdensome, or both.

The report highlights statements by governors’ who chose to lead--to be honest with legislators and respectful to taxpayers.

“Successful people are not the problem; they are the solution. They create jobs. They pay the most in sales, excise, income and property taxes. They already pay two-thirds of the tax burden in Maine. Taxing them out of Maine does not help our economy—it harms it.” - Maine Governor Paul LePage

“Cuts in specific areas, or outright eliminations, should not be taken to mean that certain work is not valued. It simply means that we can no longer afford to do it all and that our spending must be focused on the very core, essential services for our residents.” - Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy

The worst of the worst list features the governors of Montana, Delaware, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Washington, and Alaska. All of these governors called for large tax increases and increased government spending.