No.
1 Anchorage, Alaska
Income
tax: $0
Property tax: $2,572
Sales tax: $0
Auto tax: $165
STATE
& LOCAL TAX BURDEN: 3.6%
(National median tax burden: 8.5%)
Urban
Facts: Taxes? Residents of Anchorage actually receive
an annual "dividend" payment derived from levies on state
oil drilling operations.
In sheer geographic size, the city of Anchorage is larger
than the state of Rhode Island. It is home to 42% of all Alaskan
residents.
No.
2 Manchester, New Hampshire
Income
tax: $0
Property tax: $2,349
Sales tax: $0
Auto tax: $493
STATE & LOCAL TAX BURDEN: 3.8%
Urban
Facts: New Hampshire's favorable tax structure and
Manchester's proximity to Boston makes it an attractive residence
for flinty New Englanders.
No.
3 Cheyenne, Wyoming
Income
tax: $0
Property tax: $1,326
Sales tax: $1,512
Auto tax: $665
STATE & LOCAL TAX BURDEN: 4.7%
Urban
Facts: Levies on mining and oil account for nearly
half of the Equality State's tax revenues. Cheyenne is in
close proximity to the geographical center of North America.
No.
4 Seattle, Washington
Income
tax: $0
Property tax: $1,698
Sales tax: $1,561
Auto tax: $457
STATE & LOCAL TAX BURDEN: 5.0%
Urban
Facts: Seattle may be a tax-friendly city, but it
also has a high cost of living, well above the national average.
The median home sales price was $375,000 for last quarter
of 2008, compared to $200,000 at the national level.
No.
5 Las Vegas, Nevada
Income
tax: $0
Property tax: $2,251
Sales tax: $1,072
Auto tax: $486
STATE & LOCAL TAX BURDEN: 5.1%
Urban
Facts: Gaming taxes account for 27% of the state's
general revenue funds.
The city's rapid growth a few years ago that drew more than
5,000 new residents every month was propped up on subprime
lending. Now Las Vegas has the highest foreclosure rate among
U.S. cities.
No.
6 Jacksonville, Florida
Income
tax: $0
Property tax: $2,456
Sales tax: $1,284
Auto tax: $195
STATE & LOCAL TAX BURDEN: 5.2%
Urban
Facts: The state intangibles tax on certain investments
was repealed in 2007.
Jacksonville is the third-most populous city on the East Coast,
after New York City and Philadelphia. (Other cities such as
Boston, Washington, D.C., and Miami have larger metropolitan
area populations.)
No.
7 Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Income
tax: $0
Property tax: $2,760
Sales tax: $1,518
Auto tax: $294
STATE & LOCAL TAX BURDEN: 6.1%
Urban
Facts: In fiscal year 2007, lottery gaming put $110
million in the state till to provide a 30% property-tax relief.
Sioux Falls has the largest shopping center between Minneapolis
and Denver.
No.
8 Phoenix, Arizona
Income
tax: $1,241
Property tax: $1,401
Sales tax: $1,849
Auto tax: $588
STATE & LOCAL TAX BURDEN: 6.8%
Urban
Facts: Tax information for Phoenix includes the entire
metropolitan area which extends to cities of Scottsdale, Mesa,
Tempe, Mesa, Chandler, Gilbert, Glendale and Peoria. But housing
prices and local tax can vary significantly from locality
to locality.
No.
9 Billings, Montana
Income
tax: $2,559
Property tax: $1,865
Sales tax: $0
Auto tax: $689
STATE & LOCAL TAX BURDEN: 6.8%
Urban
Facts: Billings taxpayers with adjusted gross incomes
of less than $30,000 can exclude up to $3,600 of their pension
income from state taxes.
Dubbed locally as the "Magic City," Billings is supporting
growth by dunning its energy, agriculture, and transportation
industries.
No.
10 Chicago, Illinois
Income
tax: $2,019
Property tax: $1,023
Sales tax: $1,624
Auto tax: $478
STATE & LOCAL TAX BURDEN: 6.9%
Urban
Facts: Chicago's effective real-estate tax rate of
.70% and various exemption programs keep real property tax
low. Just keep in mind that this surprisingly tax-friendly
city doesn't offer the same breaks for other cost-of-living
expenses.