What states give the best investment return for taxpayers?

April 15, 2015 at 1:00 a.m. | Updated April 15, 2015 at 12:29 a.m.

by Staff Report

FILE - In this Aug. 21, 2014 file photo, health care tax form 1095-A in seen in Washington. If you got health coverage through President Barack Obama's law this year, you'll need a new form from your insurance exchange before you can file your tax return next spring. Some tax professionals are worried that federal and state insurance marketplaces won't be able to get those forms out in time, creating the risk of delayed tax refunds for millions of consumers. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)
FILE - In this Aug. 21, 2014 file photo, health care tax form 1095-A in seen in Washington. If you got health coverage through President Barack Obama's law this year, you'll need a new form from your insurance exchange before you can file your tax return next spring. Some tax professionals are worried that federal and state insurance marketplaces won't be able to get those forms out in time, creating the risk of delayed tax refunds for millions of consumers. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

Here's how Tennessee and Georgia fared

On the six main government service categories: * Infrastructure: Tennessee was 15th, Georgia was 26th and Alabama was 34th * Education: Tennessee was 28th, Georgia was 18th, and Alabama was 45th * Health: Tennessee ranked 39th, Georgia ranked 44th, and Alabama was 49th * Economy: Tennessee ranked 38th, Georgia ranked 48th and Alabama was 41th * Safety: Tennessee was 46th, Georgia was 36th and Alabama was 49th * Pollution: Tennessee was 34th, Georgia was 48th and Alabama was 30th Source: Wallethub, 2015 States with the Best & Worst Tapayer ROI.

Tennesseans get a better-than-average return from the taxes they pay, but taxpayers in Georgia and Alabama fare worse than most Americans, according to a new report from the online research firm WalletHub.

In recognition of the 2015 tax filing deadline today, WalletHub compared what individuals pay in each state with the quality of services provided by state and local governments. The taxpayer return on investment was best in Alaska, Wyoming and Montana and worst in Arkansas, Alabama and Mississippi.

Tennessee ranked No. 16 on the personal finance site's ranking, primarily because the Volunteer State has the fourth-best roads and bridges in the nation even as the state's overall tax burden ranked 6th lowest among the 50 states. But Tennessee was hurt by having the fourth- highest crime rate of all states and was rated below average for its economy and health.

Georgia ranked 39th- best among the 50 states for its taxpayer return on investment; WalletHub concluded Georgia ranked the third worst of any state for both its economy and pollution and was below average for health outcomes and crime rates. Georgia's overall tax rate was about average, ranking 24th among the 50 states.

WalletHub's report divided government services into six main categories: infrastructure, health, safety, economy and pollution. It further evaluated nearly two-dozen submetrics to gauge the quality and efficiency of government operations in each area.

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