In Virginia, an "average" tax state, you hit the top state personal income tax rate at $17,000.
You have to make at least $90,000 per annum in New York, a high tax state, to reach the same levels of taxation as Arkansas and Virginia.
The trick is that each state has a variety of other taxing options, and they don't all go after tax revenues the same way. There are, of course, reasons for this ~ different economies, different costs, different industries, commercial operations, and so forth.
Just thought you'd like to know that the individual incometax rates were not (according to another poster on this thread) changed in Arkansas while Huckabee was Governor. They were, however, changed while Bill Clinton was Governor.
Citizens of Arkansas would consider themselves to be exceptionally blessed by God if they could get their personal income tax rates down to New York's level.
You are not from Arkansas, are you? You should check out the Arkansas income tax code... deductions equal to those provided in the federal income tax system? WRONG. Try again.