The Cato Institute released its 2022 fiscal policy report card on America’s governors, which gives Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey a "D" rating.
In line with Cato’s Libertarian ideology, the report card rates American governors based on data-driven analyses of their fiscal policies from a limited-government perspective.
Governors receiving an "A" are those who have cut taxes and spending the most, whereas governors receiving an "F" have increased taxes and spending the most.
The scores rate on a scale from one to 100, with the higher scores representing more of an inclination toward smaller-government policies.
Ivey received one of the worst ratings for Republican governors, with only Phil Scott of Vermont and Bill Lee of Tennessee taking home worse scores.
Ivey received a "D" rating, with a tagalong score of 44, placing her in 33rd place overall.
While Cato noted the state showed a 0.2% decrease in taxes, it also pointed out that Alabama had one of the least significant reductions in taxation in states with Republican governors.
Alabama also received negative marks due to its combined sales tax rate.
At 4%, the state sales tax rate is low, but some local governments tack on up to 7.5% in additional sales taxes. As a result, the state-wide average combined sales tax rate is 9.24%, the fifth highest in the nation.
Cato gave Ivey some credit for what the institute deemed “modest tax cuts,” including raising the standard deduction, exempting $6,000 of retirement income from taxes, increasing an adoption credit, and exempting small businesses from the business privilege tax.
Five governors received an "A" grade: Kim Reynolds of Iowa, Chris Sununu of New Hampshire, Pete Ricketts of Nebraska, Brad Little of Idaho, and Doug Ducey of Arizona. All of the "A"-rated governors were Republicans.
Eight governors receive an "F": Tim Walz of Minnesota, Tom Wolf of Pennsylvania, J. B. Pritzker of Illinois, Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, Phil Murphy of New Jersey, Kate Brown of Oregon, Gavin Newsom of California, and Jay Inslee of Washington. All of the "F"-rated governors were Democrats.
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