Massachusetts Not Quite Taxachusetts, New Report Says

BOSTON, MA — If you feel like dumping tea into Boston Harbor every time you pay your taxes, you might be overreacting.

Massachusetts residents actually have it pretty good when it comes to paying taxes, according to a new report from the personal finance site WalletHub. Out of the 50 states, Massachusetts ranks No. 22 for overall tax burden — the best in all of New England except for New Hampshire, which ranked No. 45.

According to WalletHub, Massachusetts residents pay about 8.76 percent of their total income in state and local taxes, including property and sales taxes.

By comparison, residents in the top three states — New York, Hawaii and Vermont — pay more than 10 percent of total personal income in local taxes. The cheapest state is Alaska, where you only put 5.16 percent of your income toward taxes to live amid grizzly bears and glaciers.

Although Massachusetts ranked in the middle of the pack for overall tax burden, the commonwealth did come in higher for certain types of taxes. We're No. 13 for property taxes (New Hampshire was No. 1) and No. 7 for income tax.

Where Massachusetts really shines is sales and excise tax, ranking No. 45 overall, which means we're paying a lot less for our tea than residents in most states.