Who are America’s best and worst governors on budgets and taxes?

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National Review:

Who are America’s best and worst governors on budgets and taxes?

State governments got squeezed during the last recession as tax revenues fell. But since then budgets have rebounded, and general-fund revenues are up 33 percent since 2010. What are the states doing with the inflows of cash?

The Cato Institute’s new “fiscal policy report card” finds out by looking at the tax and spending policies of each state governor. It assigns grades of “A” to “F” based on how frugal or spendthrift each leader has been. The best governors have restrained spending and pursued tax cuts, while the worst have grown their budgets rapidly and pushed tax hikes.

 

We awarded an “A” to five governors:

 

Paul LePage of Maine has held the line on spending and cut government employment 9 percent. Maine has enacted two rounds of income-tax reforms during this tenure.

 

Pat McCrory of North Carolina also approved major tax reforms. He replaced a three-bracket individual income tax with a lower-rate flat tax. He also chopped the corporate-tax rate.