According to a new report, New York State now ranks as the least free state in the country.
The determination has come from a new report by the libertarian CATO Institute.
“New York has been the least free state in the country for a long time. In fact, the Empire State has been the worst state for freedom in every year since our data set began in 2000. Economic freedom is the most significant weakness and is continuing to get worse absolutely. The state has made gains on personal freedom and is now 30th. New York’s terrible economic freedom score is going to continue to drag the state down—and harm its ability to realize its full economic potential.”
“Combined, state and local taxes are crushing. Debt is down from years past but is still the highest in the country at 26.1 percent of income,” the report said.
The top five freest states include New Hampshire, Florida, South Dakota, Nevada and Arizona. Rounding out the bottom five are Oregon, New Jersey, California, Hawaii and New York.
As the New York Post wrote:
No wonder the state’s seeing a huge exodus to Florida (No. 2 in freedom, behind New Hampshire, and first in economic freedom), with Miami now looking like a credible threat to displace Gotham as the nation’s financial capital.
New York’s endless and onerous state regulations also drive away businesses (and jobs and people) — and its growing green “climate” rules will send power costs soaring and further degrade the state’s livability.
Democrats truly destroy everything they touch.
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