With Tax Day looming large and sweeping tax reform passed in recent months, WalletHub today released its 2018 Taxpayer Survey as well as its yearly Tax Rates by State report in order to help people better understand this confusing time of year. WalletHub’s Taxpayer Survey features a wide range of fun facts about people’s opinions on tax prep, the IRS and more, while the tax rate report compares the cost of the average person’s various obligations in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Surprisingly, WalletHub found that states with no income tax aren’t always the cheapest overall, as they tend to have higher sales and property taxes.
You can find highlights from both below, followed by the full list of WalletHub’s 2018 taxpayer resources:
2018 Taxpayer Survey
States with Lowest Tax Rates
States with Highest Tax Rates
1
Alaska
42
Michigan
2
Delaware
43
New Jersey
3
Montana
44
Iowa
4
Nevada
45
Ohio
5
Wyoming
46
Wisconsin
6
Tennessee
47
Rhode Island
7
Idaho
48
New York
8
California
49
Nebraska
9
Florida
50
Connecticut
10
South Carolina
51
Illinois
WalletHub’s 2018 Taxpayer Resources
RIVER OF LOST SOULS
The Science, Politics, and Greed Behind the Gold King Mine Disaster
BY JONATHAN P. THOMPSON
What was really behind the 2015 Gold King Mine disaster in southwestern Colorado?
When the river that his ancestors had settled next to in the 1870s turned orange with mining-related pollution in 2015, Jonathan P. Thompson knew he would write a book about it. Thompson, an award-winning investigative environmental journalist, digs into the science, politics, and greed behind the 2015 Gold King Mine disaster, and unearths a litany of impacts wrought by a century and a half of mining, energy development, and fracking in southwestern Colorado. Amid these harsh realities, Thompson explores how a new generation is setting out to make amends.
“Thompson shines in giving a sense of what it means to love a place that’s been designated a sacrifice zone.” —Publishers Weekly
“An elegy of sorts for a beloved natural area with a long history of human exploitation.” —Foreword Reviews
“(Creates) a vivid and, at times, horrifying time line that shows the aftereffects of human exploitation of nature.” —Library Journal (Feb. 1, 2018)
“The reader will revel in the beauty of the Colorado landscape while recoiling from descriptions of cruelty towards the Native Americans and the horrors of acid mine drainage.” —Booklist (Feb. 1, 2018)
WHERE TO BUY
Paperback: 978-1-937226-83-1
E-book: 978-1-937226-84-8
Individuals:
Paperback available from Torrey House Press, your favorite local bookstore, or at IndieBound.org
E-book available wherever e-books are sold
Booksellers and Libraries:
Paperback and e-book available from Consortium Book Sales and Distribution
during his Four Corners Book Tour!
APRIL
Mon. April 2, 6:00 p.m. at Booked on 25th (Ogden, UT)
Tues. April 3, 7:00 p.m. at The King's English Bookshop (Salt Lake City, UT)
Thurs. April 5, 7:00 p.m. at Back of Beyond Books (Moab, UT)
Wed. April 11, 12:00 p.m. San Juan Citizens Alliance Green Business Roundtable (Durango, CO)
Wed. April 11, 7:00 p.m. with Maria's Bookshop at the Durango Public Library (Durango, CO)
Sat. April 14, 7:00 p.m. at BookBar (Denver, CO)
Tues. April 17, 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the Navajo Nation Shiprock Chapter House (Shiprock, NM)
Wed. April 18, 6:00 p.m. at Bookworks Albuquerque (Albuquerque, NM)
JULY
Tues. July 17, 6:00 p.m. at Townie Books (Crested Butte, CO)
AUGUST
Fri. August 3, 6:00 p.m. at Bright Side Bookshop (Flagstaff, AZ)
Sun. August 12 (time TBD) with Between the Covers Bookstore at the Wilkinson Public Library (Telluride, CO)
Follow Torrey House Press's events on Facebook and the THP website for additional details and new tour stops!
Ready to get reading?
Bookmark these supplementary materials and photos from the author and get your copy of River of Lost Souls below!
USDA Invests $276 Million in Rural Electric Infrastructure
Loans Modernize Infrastructure and Spur Business Growth in 12 States
WASHINGTON, March 13, 2018 – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced today the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing $276 million in rural electric infrastructure (PDF, 60 KB) to improve system efficiency and reliability. This announcement comes the day before Secretary Perdue is set to testify alongside Secretaries Wilbur Ross, Alexander Acosta, Elaine Chao and Rick Perry at a Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation hearing focused on rebuilding American infrastructure.
“Investing in our nation’s electric infrastructure is fundamental for rural economic growth,” Secretary Perdue said. “USDA’s longstanding partnerships with rural electric cooperatives help ensure that rural areas have affordable, reliable electric service. These investments also increase efficiency and productivity for businesses and residents, and support the quality of life in rural America.”
USDA’s $276 million investment will build nearly 1,000 miles of line and improve 733 miles of line to meet current and future needs of rural businesses and residents. It will also support $65 million in smart grid technologies to help rural electric utilities reduce outages and integrate new systems.
Smart grid includes technological enhancements such as metering, substation automation, computer applications, two-way communications and geospatial information systems.
Investments are being made in Colorado, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Ohio and Virginia. The loan guarantees are being provided through USDA Rural Development’s Electric Program, which is the successor to the Rural Electrification Administration.
The Department is awarding a $74 million loan to Jackson County Rural Electric Membership Corporation in Brownstown, Ind. The utility will build 84 miles of line and improve 32 miles to provide reliable, affordable electricity to 20,000 residential and business consumers. The loan includes $59.3 million for smart grid technologies.
Kentucky’s Shelby Energy Cooperative is receiving a $22.3 million loan to build 60 miles of line, improve 52 miles and make other system improvements. The loan amount includes $384,199 for smart grid projects. Shelby serves 15,275 residential, 509 commercial and 125 seasonal consumers across 2,128 miles in 10 counties between Louisville and Lexington. Shelby’s service territory is largely rural. Its economy relies on agriculture and a fairly large commercial and industrial load. A shopping mall is expected to be added to the area in the near future.
North Dakota’s Slope Electric Cooperative Inc. will receive a $12.5 million loan to build 84 miles of line and improve 32 miles. Slope will use $400,000 to restore damage from storms last July. In Virginia, the Rappahannock Electric Cooperative will receive a $52 million loan to build 376 miles of line. Rappahannock serves 165,000 meters in parts of 22 counties.
In 2017, Bedford Solar received a $3 million USDA loan to build a three megawatt solar plant to provide electricity to a small rural town in Virginia. Built on a brownfield, Bedford Solar has helped stimulate local economic growth and development. It began providing electricity in January 2018, reducing energy costs, attracting new business and creating local jobs.
In April 2017, President Donald J. Trump established the Interagency Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity to identify legislative, regulatory and policy changes that could promote agriculture and prosperity in rural communities. In January 2018, Secretary Perdue presented the Task Force’s findings to President Trump. These findings included 31 recommendations to align the federal government with state, local and tribal governments to take advantage of opportunities that exist in rural America. Increasing investments in rural infrastructure is a key recommendation of the task force.
To view the report in its entirety, please view the Report to the President of the United States from the Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity (PDF, 5.4 MB). In addition, to view the categories of the recommendations, please view the Rural Prosperity infographic (PDF, 190 KB).
USDA Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities and create jobs in rural areas. This assistance supports infrastructure improvements; business development; housing; community services such as schools, public safety and health care; and high-speed internet access in rural areas. For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov.
