Kearney Hub: Nebraska’s tax system outdated?
By Mike Konz, Hub Managing Editor
KEARNEY — Fiscal guru Renee Fry said Thursday that Nebraskans live in a state that, according to many rankings, is best in the nation:
– No. 1 among least economically stressed states, according to the Associated Press;
– No. 1 among emerging biotech hubs, according to Business Facilities Rankings Report; and,
– No. 1 for net farm income and net farm income per operation, according to the USDA.
Nebraska is better than many other states in a broad variety of rankings, Fry said, including the state’s pro-business climate, workforce training, well-being index and quality of life, to name a few.
However, she said, one ranking should be disturbing to Nebraskans as they set the stage for the future.
Nebraska ranks 27th among states with regressive tax systems.
“States have a regressive tax code when low- and middle-income earners pay more than high-income earners,” said Fry, the executive director of Open Sky Policy Institute, a Lincoln-based think tank. She was among speakers at Thursday’s Nebraska Association of County Officials meeting in Kearney.