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Health & Fitness

At Least We Have Nice Weather.... Minnesota The Worst Tax State For Retirees

ThinkAdvisor highlights the five best and five worst states from a Kiplinger study on the tax environment for retirees.  And guess what...we are number 2 on the worst list.   Although this is probably not a surprise for most Minnesotan's it is still not fun to see.  

Low-Lights On Why Are We The Worst: 

Sales Tax: 6.87% 

Income Tax: 5.35% to 9.85%

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Social Security: Taxed at Federal Level

Property Tax Breaks for Seniors: People 65 or older with less than $60,000 in household income can defer part of their property taxes to the state. Interest will be charged and a lien will be attached to the property.

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Tax on Inheritances and Estates: No inheritance tax, but estate taxes have an exclusion of $1 million. The maximum estate tax rate is 16%.

As A Comparison, Alaska Is The Best: 

Sales Tax: None (Some Municipal Tax)

Income Tax: None

Social Security Tax: None

Property Tax Breaks for Seniors: Homeowners over 65 and surviving spouses over 60 don’t have to pay municipal taxes on the first $150,000 of value on their property.

Tax on Inheritances and Estates: None

Special Treatment for Other Retirement Income: Retirement income is not taxed.

The Only Worse State Is Vermont.  Well, At Least We're Not Vermont.

http://phillipjamesfinancial.com/blog/2013/11/5/at-least-we-have-nice-weather-minnesota-the-worst-tax-state-for-retirees

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