Interesting to see this on HN a little over 2 years after I wrote it.
My main point wasn't so much about the magnitude of the taxes, but about the shape of the graph. Most of what gives this graph its bizarre shape is a result of the federal laws, not state ones; I just happened to be computing for a California resident because that's where I live, so I had the tax forms in front of me. (And it's also the largest state by population.)
(I'd also note that state-to-state comparisons of taxes aren't really fair without adding local taxes too, since different states have different relationships between the amount of money spent by the state government and local governments. In California, specifically, it's very hard to raise local (property) taxes, so much of education funding comes from the state government. In many states, education would be funded much more by local taxes.)
Policy is getting more and more irrational over time. It's hard to discern any rational or ideological motivation behind much of it nowadays. It'll probably get worse before it gets better.
My main point wasn't so much about the magnitude of the taxes, but about the shape of the graph. Most of what gives this graph its bizarre shape is a result of the federal laws, not state ones; I just happened to be computing for a California resident because that's where I live, so I had the tax forms in front of me. (And it's also the largest state by population.)
(I'd also note that state-to-state comparisons of taxes aren't really fair without adding local taxes too, since different states have different relationships between the amount of money spent by the state government and local governments. In California, specifically, it's very hard to raise local (property) taxes, so much of education funding comes from the state government. In many states, education would be funded much more by local taxes.)