Citizens for Tax Justice , 202-626-3780 January 27, 2003
Bush 2003 Tax Plan a Big Fat Zero for a Third of Nation’s Taxpayers
Percentages with no tax cut are much higher in poorer states

Click here to see this analysis in PDF format.

Related CTJ Analyses
Cost of Bush 2003 Tax Plan Estimated2/3/03
Senate Democratic Tax Plan1/30/03

Almost a third of America’s couples and singles would receive absolutely no tax cut from President Bush’s proposals to accelerate some of his previously-enacted tax cuts and exempt dividends from personal income taxes. A new analysis released by Citizens for Tax Justice looks at the 2003 effects of the latest Bush tax cut plan on a state-by-state basis. The analysis finds that the shares of taxpayers slated to get no tax cut are especially high in lower-income states.

States with the highest share of taxpayers getting nothing from the 2003 Bush tax plan
% with no tax cut
Mississippi 44%
Louisiana 42%
West Virginia 42%
Arkansas 40%
Alabama 39%
Kentucky 38%
Oklahoma 38%
South Carolina 36%
Montana 36%
Idaho 35%
Tennessee 35%
New Mexico 35%

Nationwide, 31 percent of taxpayers would get nothing from the Bush plan.

The dozen states with the highest percentages of taxpayers who would get nothing at all from the latest Bush tax proposals include: Mississippi (44%), Louisiana (42%), West Virginia (42%), Arkansas (40%), Alabama (39%), Kentucky (38%), Oklahoma (38%) , South Carolina (36%), Montana (36%), Idaho (35%), Tennessee (35%), and New Mexico (35%). Ironically, all of these states except New Mexico cast their electoral votes for Bush in the last presidential election.

“It’s no wonder that the President’s latest round of upper-income tax cuts is polling so poorly,” said CTJ director Robert S. McIntyre. “Four out of five taxpayers would get no tax cut from Bush’s proposal to eliminate taxes on dividends, one in three would get zero from the entire package, and the median tax reduction is only $289. Why would most people want to endanger important programs, swell both federal and state budget deficits, and hurt our economy for so little in return?”

A table showing the shares of taxpayers in each state with no tax cut under the Bush plan, along with the President’s proposed tax cuts for median-income taxpayers and the top one percent in each state follows.


Click here to see this chart in PDF format.
The Bush 2003 Tax Cut Plan, State-by-State
State Average tax cut for state’s middle 20% Average tax cut for state’s top 1% % of couples & singles with zero tax cut Number with zero tax cut % of couples & singles with <$100 tax cut* Number with <$100* Rankings
Middle 20% tax cut Tax cut for top 1% % with zero tax cut % with <$100 tax cut
United States $ –289 $ –30,127 31% 42 million 48% 64 million  
Alabama –188 –20,471 39% 818,100 57% 1,176,900 48 33 5 2
Alaska –425 –19,936 23% 67,300 42% 124,700 3 35 49 48
Arizona –250 –22,431 31% 682,400 50% 1,108,700 35 30 19 17
Arkansas –229 –23,172 40% 494,500 55% 685,000 45 27 4 5
California –305 –35,940 28% 4,197,000 47% 6,939,800 20 12 32 32
Colorado –315 –28,654 26% 569,000 47% 1,007,200 19 18 40 32
Connecticut –429 –66,072 22% 355,900 37% 595,600 2 1 50 51
Delaware –233 –36,377 28% 107,900 48% 185,600 42 11 32 27
District of Columbia –251 –61,009 27% 71,600 50% 132,100 32 2 37 17
Florida –240 –39,086 33% 2,626,800 52% 4,073,200 40 7 14 12
Georgia –245 –26,882 33% 1,282,100 52% 1,995,300 36 20 14 12
Hawaii –331 –16,308 30% 172,500 48% 275,900 16 45 24 27
Idaho –245 –18,743 35% 214,300 52% 317,600 37 40 10 12
Illinois –336 –38,452 29% 1,656,600 45% 2,592,500 15 9 29 41
Indiana –343 –22,511 29% 822,300 47% 1,332,300 13 29 29 32
Iowa –296 –17,320 31% 423,000 49% 674,400 22 44 19 23
Kansas –361 –23,981 30% 366,800 47% 586,100 8 23 24 32
Kentucky –239 –19,054 38% 720,700 54% 1,026,500 41 37 6 8
Louisiana –183 –18,747 42% 842,600 57% 1,133,400 50 38 2 2
Maine –260 –15,305 31% 192,100 53% 326,500 29 48 19 9
Maryland –337 –30,351 24% 594,400 43% 1,089,600 14 16 45 45
Massachusetts –353 –46,616 25% 782,500 43% 1,310,100 11 4 44 45
Michigan –328 –27,554 29% 1,308,400 46% 2,099,900 17 19 29 40
Minnesota –370 –22,884 24% 570,900 44% 1,033,100 5 28 45 44
Mississippi –132 –15,425 44% 573,000 59% 765,200 51 47 1 1
Missouri –254 –25,999 31% 825,200 50% 1,318,000 31 21 19 17
Montana –231 –14,376 36% 153,900 55% 233,500 44 49 8 5
Nebraska –250 –18,744 26% 214,000 47% 380,400 33 39 40 32
Nevada –244 –43,079 24% 239,700 47% 465,200 38 6 45 32
New Hampshire –438 –33,504 19% 114,500 41% 242,400 1 13 51 49
New Jersey –412 –38,236 26% 1,022,200 41% 1,643,700 4 10 40 49
New Mexico –291 –15,961 35% 272,900 53% 410,700 23 46 10 9
New York –261 –48,239 34% 2,997,000 50% 4,440,100 28 3 13 17
North Carolina –257 –21,562 32% 1,268,900 51% 1,992,800 30 32 16 15
North Dakota –250 –13,268 32% 96,500 49% 144,800 34 50 16 23
Ohio –287 –20,387 28% 1,580,900 47% 2,634,500 24 34 32 32
Oklahoma –240 –17,700 38% 569,100 53% 798,000 39 42 6 9
Oregon –318 –19,645 30% 510,800 50% 834,500 18 36 24 17
Pennsylvania –285 –29,051 30% 1,766,100 49% 2,846,300 25 17 24 23
Rhode Island –215 –22,039 31% 153,200 50% 248,800 46 31 19 17
South Carolina –184 –18,295 36% 687,800 55% 1,042,300 49 41 8 5
South Dakota –272 –23,700 30% 103,600 49% 171,300 27 25 24 23
Tennessee –232 –23,566 35% 970,300 51% 1,407,600 43 26 10 15
Texas –283 –32,571 32% 2,971,700 48% 4,440,700 26 14 16 27
Utah –366 –24,385 28% 265,700 48% 458,500 7 22 32 27
Vermont –356 –17,630 24% 70,900 43% 125,400 9 43 45 45
Virginia –299 –31,957 27% 909,300 48% 1,640,600 21 15 37 27
Washington –370 –45,667 26% 754,400 45% 1,294,700 6 5 40 41
West Virginia –198 –12,662 42% 348,800 56% 464,700 47 51 2 4
Wisconsin –354 –23,862 27% 695,200 47% 1,185,900 10 24 37 32
Wyoming –345 –38,652 28% 66,700 45% 107,400 12 8 32 41
*Includes taxpayers with zero tax cut.
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