Fiscal Facts | Tax Policy Center

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State Gasoline Tax Rates

Illinois' state gasoline tax is set to double to nearly 40 cents per gallon starting July 1, 2019. Currently, four states (CA, NJ, PA, and WA) have gas taxes exceeding 40 cents per gallon, while Alaska has the lowest tax at 9 cents per gallon.

June 17, 2019

Charitable Deduction by state

About 25% of individual income tax filers claimed a deduction for charitable contributions in 2016. The share claiming this deduction ranges from 12% in West Virginia to 39% in Maryland. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act will significantly reduce these.

June 10, 2019

Itemized Deductions Returns and Amount

In 2016, 30 percent of individual income tax returns itemized their deductions, but these returns were responsible for almost 60 percent of the total amount deducted. Under the 2017 tax law changes, these shares are expected to be significantly smaller.

June 3, 2019

Deduction for Medical Expenses annually

About 6% of income tax filers in 2016 claimed an itemized deduction for medical expenses. The share claiming a deduction and the threshold for deducting expenses have both varied over the decades. The 2017 tax law lowered the threshold from 10% to 7.5% of AGI for 2017 and 2018.

May 27, 2019

Income from Interest and Dividends by AGI

Interest and dividends are a large portion of income for high-income households, but not for others. In 2016, interest and dividends were more than 20% of adjusted gross income (AGI) for those with AGI over $10 million, compared to less than 3% for those with AGI under $100,000.

May 20, 2019

Mean Value of Financial Assets held by Families by Education

Between 1989 and 2016, the mean inflation-adjusted value of financial assets for those with a college degree more than doubled, while everyone else's remained fairly constant.

May 13, 2019

Total Amount of EITC Claimed Annually

The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) was established in 1975. The total amount of credit claimed in 1975 was $1.2 billion (or $5.6 billion in 2016 dollars). In 2016, the total was $66.7 billion, almost 12 times larger in real terms.

May 6, 2019

Annual Number of Returns Claiming IRA Contribution Deduction

About 1.8% of all individual income tax returns claimed a deduction for IRA contributions in 2016. Following the Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981, this share exceeded 12%, until deductible IRAs were curtailed by the Tax Reform Act of 1986.

April 29, 2019

Income from Salary and Wages by AGI

Wages and salaries are the largest source of adjusted gross income (AGI) for most taxpayers. In 2016, they comprised over 70 percent of AGI for all individual taxpayers, but just 18 percent for those with AGI over $10 million.

April 22, 2019

Average Annual Elderly and Disabled Credits

Take up of the Credit for the Elderly and Disabled has declined since neither the credit amount nor the income limits have been adjusted for inflation in 35 years. It was claimed by 1 million taxpayers in 1976, 60,000 in 2016, and fewer claimants are expected in coming years.

April 15, 2019

Number of AMT Returns

Around 4 million taxpayers per year have paid the individual Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) since 2005. Due to 2017's tax law changes, the AMT will be paid by only about 200,000 taxpayers, and will impose tax of around $5 billion in 2018, down from $31 billion in 2016.

April 8, 2019

Income from Capital Gains by AGI

Capital gains represent a significant source of income for high-income households, but not for others. In 2016, capital gains were 46.4% of adjusted gross income (AGI) for those with AGI over $10 million, compared to 0.7% for those with AGI under $100,000.

April 1, 2019

Own-Source Revenue and Tax Collections by State

Taxes comprised 69% of state and local own-source revenues (excluding federal transfers) in 2016. This share ranged from 37% in Alaska to 83% in Connecticut. Non-tax forms of own-source revenue include oil and gas royalties, public tuition payments, and highway tolls.

March 25, 2019

Annual Amount of Unemployment Compensation

Unemployment benefits follow the business cycle. During the recent Great Recession, unemployment benefits rose to 2.1% of total reported salaries and wages in 2010, and have since declined to 0.4% in 2016.

March 18, 2019

Median Value of Nonfinancial Holdings by Race

Family holdings of wealth and debt can vary significantly by race. The median net worth of non-Hispanic White families is 8 to 10 times greater than for both non-Hispanic Blacks or African Americans and Hispanics or Latinos.

March 11, 2019