Online Poll: Wyoming Income Tax Vs. Grocery Tax
A proposal to implement a state income tax in Wyoming died for lack of a motion Friday in the state House Revenue Committee.
The bill's sponsor, Rep. Cathy Connolly [D-Laramie], had proposed taxing personal and corporate incomes above $200,000 at a four percent rate. Because of a provision in state law that mandates all other taxes paid in the state would be credited towards any state income tax, Connolly said the reality was that only people with incomes above $350,000 would end up paying the tax, which she said would raise roughly $200 million annually for education.
Connolly said she brought the income tax bill as an alternative to a proposal to reinstate the state sales tax of four percent on groceries. Wyoming removed that sales tax several years ago, but as the state faces looming budget challenges there is a proposal to reinstate that tax. Connolly says the grocery tax is regressive and hurts Wyoming's poor residents.
So which tax would you prefer? We'll publish the results of our poll next week.