Hawai'i's so-called "Tax Freedom Day" is April 26 this year.

That's the projection of a ranking that attempts to boil down taxpayer burden by identifying how many days Hawai'i residents will have to work to pay their federal, state and local taxes. This year the day falls five earlier than last year.

The analysis by the Tax Foundation shows nationally that Tax Freedom Day is projected to arrive on April 23 for the country as a whole, or three days earlier than in 2007. The group said a slowing economy and the upcoming federal tax stimulus payments are contributing to lower tax burdens.

The annual study has been criticized previously by the liberal Center on Budget and Policy Priorities as being flawed because of problems with the methodology. The center says the study overstates the actual tax burden because it includes taxes paid by tourists, and it is skewed by a small group of higher-income taxpayers.