#LegalBytes: The Official Podcast of Cummings & Cummings Law

Attorney and CPA Chad D. Cummings explains Ohio’s tax reality in this presentation. While the state is reducing its individual income tax rate to a competitive 2.75 percent, over six hundred municipalities impose their own local income taxes that can push the combined rate well above five percent in many areas. Ohio also relies on a Commercial Activity Tax based on gross receipts rather than profi...

Attorney and CPA Chad D. Cummings examines North Dakota’s tax position in this presentation. The state ranks 11th on the Tax Foundation’s 2026 State Tax Competitiveness Index with one of the lowest individual income tax rates in the country at 2.5 percent. However, North Dakota’s revenue model depends heavily on volatile oil and gas severance taxes, it imposes a throwback rule on corporate income,...

Attorney and CPA Chad D. Cummings examines North Carolina’s strong but incomplete tax competitiveness in this presentation. The state ranks 13th on the Tax Foundation’s 2026 State Tax Competitiveness Index with the lowest corporate income tax rate in the country at 2.0 percent and a legislated path to zero by 2030. However, North Carolina still imposes a 4.25 percent individual income tax, a franc...

New York ranks dead last on the Tax Foundation’s 2026 State Tax Competitiveness Index, below New Jersey, California, and every other state in the country. In this presentation, Chad D. Cummings, CPA, Esq., explains why New York has become the clearest warning sign for business owners, including its 10.9 percent top state income tax rate, New York City’s 3.876 percent income tax, combined state and...

New Mexico has fallen from 20th to 28th on the Tax Foundation’s 2026 State Tax Competitiveness Index, making it one of the five most-declined states over the last six years. In this presentation, Chad D. Cummings, CPA, Esq., explains why New Mexico is losing ground, including its 2025 corporate tax increase to a flat 5.9 percent rate, 5.9 percent top individual income tax rate, gross receipts tax...

New Jersey is one of the least competitive tax states in America, ranking 49th on the Tax Foundation’s 2026 State Tax Competitiveness Index, with only New York ranking worse. In this presentation, Chad D. Cummings, CPA, Esq., explains why New Jersey has remained near the bottom for more than a decade, including its 11.5 percent top corporate income tax rate, 10.75 percent top individual income tax...

New Hampshire ranks third on the Tax Foundation’s 2026 State Tax Competitiveness Index after eliminating its interest and dividends tax on January 1, 2025, making it the only state in the Northeast with no individual income tax. In this presentation, Chad D. Cummings, CPA, Esq., explains why New Hampshire’s no-income-tax and no-sales-tax structure gives it a major regional advantage, while also ad...

Nevada has no individual income tax and no corporate income tax, but that does not make it automatically equal to Florida or Texas for business owners. In this presentation, Chad D. Cummings, CPA, Esq., explains why Nevada ranks 20th on the Tax Foundation’s 2026 State Tax Competitiveness Index despite receiving a tied-for-first ranking on the individual income tax component. The discussion covers...

Nebraska has made real progress on tax rates, but lower rates do not fix a tax code with structural traps. In this presentation, Chad D. Cummings, CPA, Esq., explains why Nebraska ranks 22nd on the Tax Foundation’s 2026 State Tax Competitiveness Index, including its 5.2 percent top individual income tax rate, 4.55 percent flat corporate income tax rate, scheduled corporate rate reduction to 3.99 p...

Missouri has one of the better tax codes in the country, but “better” is not the same as “tax-free.” In this presentation, Chad D. Cummings, CPA, Esq., explains why Missouri ranks 12th on the Tax Foundation’s 2026 State Tax Competitiveness Index, including its 4.0 percent flat corporate income tax rate, strong corporate and unemployment insurance tax rankings, capital gains exemption, low per capi...

Missouri has one of the better tax codes in the country, but “better” is not the same as “tax-free.” In this presentation, Chad D. Cummings, CPA, Esq., explains why Missouri ranks 12th on the Tax Foundation’s 2026 State Tax Competitiveness Index, including its 4.0 percent flat corporate income tax rate, strong corporate and unemployment insurance tax rankings, capital gains exemption, low per capi...

Mississippi has made real tax reforms, but business owners should not confuse improvement with tax neutrality. In this presentation, Chad D. Cummings, CPA, Esq., explains why Mississippi ranks 27th on the Tax Foundation’s 2026 State Tax Competitiveness Index, including its move to a 4.0 percent flat individual income tax, permanent full expensing for machinery and equipment, scheduled capital stoc...

Minnesota has become one of the clearest examples of a high-tax state moving further away from regional tax competitiveness. In this presentation, Chad D. Cummings, CPA, Esq., explains why Minnesota ranks 44th on the Tax Foundation’s 2026 State Tax Competitiveness Index, including its 9.85 percent top individual income tax rate, second-highest corporate income tax rate in the country, alternative...

Michigan is still a competitive tax state, but its position is slipping while faster-moving states cut income tax rates, corporate tax rates, and business costs. In this presentation, Chad D. Cummings, CPA, Esq., explains why Michigan fell from 11th to 16th on the Tax Foundation’s 2026 State Tax Competitiveness Index, how the state’s 4.25 percent flat income tax can exceed 6 percent when local cit...

Massachusetts has become one of the clearest examples of how quickly a once-competitive tax state can become hostile to high earners and business owners. In this presentation, Chad D. Cummings, CPA, Esq., explains how Massachusetts fell from 36th to 43rd on the Tax Foundation’s 2026 State Tax Competitiveness Index after voters approved a constitutional amendment creating a 9 percent top individual...

Attorney and CPA Chad D. Cummings explains Maryland’s aggressive tax increases and declining competitiveness in this presentation. The state now ranks 46th on the Tax Foundation’s 2026 State Tax Competitiveness Index after enacting one of the most aggressive tax packages in the country in 2025, including a new top individual income tax rate of 6.5 percent, higher county income taxes, a capital gai...

Attorney and CPA Chad D. Cummings explains Maine’s tax situation in this presentation. While the state improved to 26th on the Tax Foundation’s 2026 State Tax Competitiveness Index, that gain came largely from statistical changes in other states rather than meaningful tax reform. Maine still maintains one of the highest corporate income tax rates in the country at 8.93 percent, a throwback rule, l...

Attorney and CPA Chad D. Cummings examines Louisiana’s significant tax reforms and remaining challenges in this presentation. The state has made major progress, replacing its graduated individual income tax with a flat 3.0 percent rate and improving its corporate tax structure, which helped it climb nine places on the Tax Foundation’s 2026 State Tax Competitiveness Index. However, Louisiana still...

Attorney and CPA Chad D. Cummings examines Kentucky’s tax reform progress and remaining challenges in this presentation. The state has reduced its individual income tax rate to 3.5 percent with a phased path toward further cuts and eventual elimination, representing one of the more ambitious reform efforts in the country. However, business owners must currently navigate a Limited Liability Entity...

Attorney and CPA Chad D. Cummings examines Kansas’s tax position in this presentation. The state ranks 23rd on the Tax Foundation’s 2026 State Tax Competitiveness Index with a top individual income tax rate of 5.58 percent that kicks in at a very low income threshold, a graduated corporate rate reaching 7.0 percent, and a throwback rule that taxes out-of-state sales. While Kansas is attempting fur...

Attorney and CPA Chad D. Cummings highlights Iowa’s remarkable tax reform journey in this presentation. The state has climbed from 43rd to 17th on the Tax Foundation’s 2026 State Tax Competitiveness Index with a flat individual and corporate income tax rate now at 3.8 percent and scheduled to drop to 3.5 percent. These changes represent one of the most aggressive reform stories in the country. Yet...

Attorney and CPA Chad D. Cummings examines Indiana’s tax competitiveness in this presentation. The state ranks tenth on the Tax Foundation’s 2026 State Tax Competitiveness Index with a 3.0 percent flat individual and corporate income tax rate scheduled to drop further. However, Indiana’s 92 counties can add local income taxes ranging from 0.5 percent to 3.0 percent, pushing the effective combined...

Attorney and CPA Chad D. Cummings explains why Illinois continues to lose businesses and residents in this presentation. The state ranks 38th on the Tax Foundation’s 2026 State Tax Competitiveness Index with the third-highest corporate income tax rate in the nation at 9.5 percent, the highest property taxes in the country, and public pensions funded at only 52 percent. A proposed constitutional am...

Attorney and CPA Chad D. Cummings examines Idaho’s strong but not optimal tax position in this presentation. The state has earned a top-ten ranking, climbing to ninth on the Tax Foundation’s 2026 State Tax Competitiveness Index with a flat 5.3 percent individual and corporate income tax rate. While this represents meaningful progress and Idaho offers low debt, strong pension funding, and no estate...

Attorney and CPA Chad D. Cummings explains why Hawaii remains one of the least competitive tax jurisdictions in the country in this presentation. The state ranks 41st on the Tax Foundation’s 2026 State Tax Competitiveness Index with twelve income tax brackets topping out at 11 percent, a $25,000 Section 179 expensing cap, a 20 percent estate tax, and a throwback rule that penalizes companies with...