Before we dive in to the data, it is worth noting that there are seven states that currently have zero interest tax, including Florida, Nevada, Texas, Alaska, South Dakota, Washington State and Wyoming. New Hampshire and Tennessee also have no income tax, but they do tax interest and dividends. The other 41 states (and one district) all levy an income tax. Here’s the average amount paid in each state:
Average Income Tax
California has the highest average tax of any state at 10.4%. Oregon, Minnesota, Hawaii, DC, New York, Vermont, and Maine also have average state income taxes that are higher than 7.5%. Aside from the states with zero income tax, there are also 14 that have average tax rates below 5%. However, as HowMuch.net notes, the average isn’t necessarily the best indicator when it comes to this data. Since most tax schemes are progressive, the tax rates of most states vary heavily depending on the level of personal income each year. Here’s the difference between what the highest income group (top 0.1%) and the median income group (top 50%) are paying:
Income Tax Gap: Rate for Top 0.1% vs. Top 50%
Illustrated a different way, see how this changes based on moving up the tax bracket from the top 25% to the top 0.1%:
Income Tax Rate: Top 25%
The top 25% of earners ($74,955 per year and up) pay the most in Oregon, which has a tax rate of 7.4%. Three other states charge 6% or more: Hawaii (6.89%), Idaho (6.05%) and Maine (6.00%). Compare this to the top 0.1% bracket of earners ($1,860,848 per year and up):
Income Tax Rate: Top 0.1%
California now charges the most at 11.54%, while Oregon, Minnesota, and Hawaii all have rates hovering around 10%.
on Even while political regimes across these countries have changed over time, they’ve largely followed a few different types of governance. Today, every country can ultimately be classified into just nine broad forms of government systems. This map by Truman Du uses information from Wikipedia to map the government systems that rule the world today.
Countries By Type of Government
It’s important to note that this map charts government systems according to each country’s legal framework. Many countries have constitutions stating their de jure or legally recognized system of government, but their de facto or realized form of governance may be quite different. Here is a list of the stated government system of UN member states and observers as of January 2023: Let’s take a closer look at some of these systems.
Monarchies
Brought back into the spotlight after the death of Queen Elizabeth II of England in September 2022, this form of government has a single ruler. They carry titles from king and queen to sultan or emperor, and their government systems can be further divided into three modern types: constitutional, semi-constitutional, and absolute. A constitutional monarchy sees the monarch act as head of state within the parameters of a constitution, giving them little to no real power. For example, King Charles III is the head of 15 Commonwealth nations including Canada and Australia. However, each has their own head of government. On the other hand, a semi-constitutional monarchy lets the monarch or ruling royal family retain substantial political powers, as is the case in Jordan and Morocco. However, their monarchs still rule the country according to a democratic constitution and in concert with other institutions. Finally, an absolute monarchy is most like the monarchies of old, where the ruler has full power over governance, with modern examples including Saudi Arabia and Vatican City.
Republics
Unlike monarchies, the people hold the power in a republic government system, directly electing representatives to form government. Again, there are multiple types of modern republic governments: presidential, semi-presidential, and parliamentary. The presidential republic could be considered a direct progression from monarchies. This system has a strong and independent chief executive with extensive powers when it comes to domestic affairs and foreign policy. An example of this is the United States, where the President is both the head of state and the head of government. In a semi-presidential republic, the president is the head of state and has some executive powers that are independent of the legislature. However, the prime minister (or chancellor or equivalent title) is the head of government, responsible to the legislature along with the cabinet. Russia is a classic example of this type of government. The last type of republic system is parliamentary. In this system, the president is a figurehead, while the head of government holds real power and is validated by and accountable to the parliament. This type of system can be seen in Germany, Italy, and India and is akin to constitutional monarchies. It’s also important to point out that some parliamentary republic systems operate slightly differently. For example in South Africa, the president is both the head of state and government, but is elected directly by the legislature. This leaves them (and their ministries) potentially subject to parliamentary confidence.
One-Party State
Many of the systems above involve multiple political parties vying to rule and govern their respective countries. In a one-party state, also called a single-party state or single-party system, only one political party has the right to form government. All other political parties are either outlawed or only allowed limited participation in elections. In this system, a country’s head of state and head of government can be executive or ceremonial but political power is constitutionally linked to a single political movement. China is the most well-known example of this government system, with the General Secretary of the Communist Party of China ruling as the de facto leader since 1989.
Provisional
The final form of government is a provisional government formed as an interim or transitional government. In this system, an emergency governmental body is created to manage political transitions after the collapse of a government, or when a new state is formed. Often these evolve into fully constitutionalized systems, but sometimes they hold power for longer than expected. Some examples of countries that are considered provisional include Libya, Burkina Faso, and Chad.
