Written by Marsha Blackburn
U.S. Senator
Washington, D.C. – When I served in the Tennessee State Senate, one proposal dominated the legislature more than any other: whether to adopt a state income tax. While Tennessee had survived up to that point for two centuries without taxing wages, advocates had no shortage of government programs they wanted to fund.
They bought into the illusion that they knew better than Tennessee families about how to spend their hard-earned money.
Their plan failed. From every corner of the state, Tennesseans descended on the state capitol to make their voices heard in opposition to the tax. In the state senate, I was honored to champion their cause, leading a statewide grassroots campaign to ultimately defeat the proposal. We won that battle because we upheld a simple truth: Tennesseans do better when they have more money in their pocketbooks—not less.
The outcome of that fight set the course for Tennessee’s incredible economic success over the last two decades. With one of the lowest tax burdens of any state in the country, we have been a magnet for job creators, from small business owners to major corporations.
Since the income tax was defeated, Tennessee’s economy has tripled in size while total wages have soared. Our state has become a hub for automotive manufacturing, health care, nuclear energy, quantum computing, finance, and more. None of this would have been possible if we went down the path of higher taxes and bigger government.
Under U.S. President Donald J. Trump’s leadership, this success has reached new heights. With the passage of Republicans’ Working Families Tax Cuts Act, or One Big Beautiful Bill, Tennessee families are saving more money than ever before. We lowered taxes on tips and overtime, secured an enhanced child tax credit, and increased the standard deduction claimed by 90 percent of filers. As part of the law, I was especially honored to secure a $6,000 bonus deduction for seniors, eliminating taxes on Social Security for 88 percent of recipients.
While Republicans fight for greater prosperity, Democrats are embracing the failed economic agenda of socialism: higher taxes, lower wages, fewer choices, and less opportunity. In New York City, Zohran Mamdani has led the charge. Earlier this year, the far-left mayor unveiled a $127 billion budget for the city while proposing billions in new taxes. As a result, New Yorkers could see more than half of their income taken through taxes.
In return, Mamdani has promised city residents one failed government program after another. Drawing from the communist playbook, he unveiled a plan last week to establish government-run grocery stores that will use taxpayer dollars to sell products below market price. As a result, small business owners will be at a competitive disadvantage, making it even more difficult to start and run a privately owned grocery store. As one Cuban immigrant told the New York Post, “They did this where I come from. … In the end, it all costs more, and you get less.”
In response, people are voting with their feet. Between July 2024 and July 2025, the blue states of New York, California, Illinois, New Jersey, and Massachusetts lost a net 477,000 residents fleeing high taxes and burdensome regulations. Since 2020, that number is more than 3.6 million. Instead, they are heading to red states like Tennessee, which is one of the top destinations in the country for families and small business owners.
Americans don’t want socialism. They want the best opportunity to chase their American dream and raise their families in freedom. And there is no better place on earth to do that than Tennessee.
