New Yorkers suffered from the highest state and local tax burden in the country in 2005 due to the state’s high spending rates on Medicaid and education and its large number of government employees, a recently released analysis by the Business Council of New York State revealed.

New York has a per capita tax burden of $5,770 — 56 percent higher than the national average of $3,699, according to the council, which lobbies on behalf of state businesses and whose members are comprised of chambers of commerce and professional and trade associations.

The council came to that figure after analyzing Census data for the 2004-2005 fiscal year.