Experts expect little change on tax structure until crisis

Wyoming’s reserve account may fill to a record $2 billion this year due to high oil prices, but relying on volatile commodities like oil, gas and coal to fund public services means state coffers are susceptible to the same volatile boom and bust cycles as the energy industry.
 

The energy industry has carried the burden of funding state services for decades, which some experts argue is unsustainable.

In Wyoming, the average adult in a three-person family with an income of $65,000 and a home valued at $270,000 pays $3,770 in taxes. They each receive $28,280 back in state services, according to Ashley Harpstreith with the Wyoming Taxpayers Association.