R.I., Mass. business tax among worst in U.S.

OAKTON, Va. – Rhode Island’s and Massachusetts’ business-tax systems rank among the worst in the nation, according to a study released last week by Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council.
The states ranked 44th and 42nd, respectively. Elsewhere in New England, Vermont ranked 43rd, while Maine ranked 48th. Washington, D.C. ranked last in the survey.
South Dakota, Nevada, Wyoming, Washington state and Texas boasted the five best tax systems for businesses, the council said.
The council uses 16 different tax measures, combining them into one score to derive each state’s ranking.
“Taxes have been piling up on small-business owners, and the cumulative burden is particularly painful in a down economy like we are suffering right now,” said Raymond J. Keating, chief economist for the council and author of the report. •