Utah, Arizona outperform California economically

(The Center Square) - Most Southwestern states finished high or in the middle in a state-by-state ranking of tax policies and the economy. But not California. The Golden State ranked near the not-so-golden bottom of the “Rich States, Poor States” list. The American Legislative Exchange Council, a free markets policy organization, released its annual report Wednesday, noting that No. 1-ranked Utah had the best economic outlook of the 50 states. The worst at No. 50 was New York. At No. 47, California once again ranked near the bottom of ALEC’s list, as one of the most widely known high tax states. Elsewhere, Arizona (No. 5) broke into the top 10. Nevada (No. 12) sat just outside the top 10 while Colorado (No. 29) and New Mexico (No. 35) were in the middle of the pack with Hawaii among the bottom 10 (No. 43). Economists explained why taxes and economic outlooks are so closely linked.