Tax Policy Center

Fiscal Facts

E.g., 10/21/2021
E.g., 10/21/2021
Breakdown of US Businesses
Pass-through businesses (sole proprietorships, partnerships, and S-corporations) comprised 95% of all US business tax returns in 2015, but only 40% of business receipts, with traditional C-corporations accounting for the rest.

May 11, 2020

May 11, 2020
Sales tax revenue by state
Census reports sales for retail and food services fell 8.7% between February and March. General sales tax revenue can be vital for state and local governments, comprising over 20% of annual general revenue in six states.

May 4, 2020

May 4, 2020
State Alcohol Excise Taxes
State excise taxes on beer range from 2 cents per gallon in Wyoming to $1.29 per gallon in Tennessee. In other words, it costs about 71 cents more in excise taxes to purchase a six-pack in Tennessee than in Wyoming (72 cents vs. 1 cent).

April 27, 2020

April 27, 2020
State Alcohol Excise Taxes
State excise taxes on wine range from 20 cents per gallon in California and Texas to $2.50 per gallon in Alaska. In other words, Alaskans pay about 46 cents more in excise taxes to purchase a bottle of wine than Californians or Texans.

April 20, 2020

April 20, 2020
Median Value of Wealth Holdings by Race
The median net worth for a non-Hispanic white family ranged from 6 to 18 times higher than that for black and Hispanic families between 1989 and 2016. Median economic measures are often used to represent how a "typical" family is doing financially.

April 13, 2020

April 13, 2020
Median Value of Wealth Holdings by Race
Wealth and debt vary widely by race or ethnicity. Between 1989 and 2016, the average net worth of non-Hispanic White families ranged from 4 to 7 times higher than for Black and Hispanic families.

April 6, 2020

April 6, 2020
IRS individual income tax refunds issued over time
Individual income tax refunds issued by IRS have increased steadily over time, but spiked between 2007 and 2010 due to the Economic Stimulus Act of 2008 and American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

March 30, 2020

March 30, 2020
EITC Uptake by State
The EITC is the most effective anti-poverty program for low- and moderate-income working families. In 2017, the federal credit was claimed by 18% of all individual income tax returns, and over 25% of returns in Louisiana and Mississippi.

March 23, 2020

March 23, 2020
Consumption tax revenue comparison across OECD countries
Consumption tax revenue (federal, state, and local levels) was 18% of total tax revenues for the US in 2018, compared to 28% for all other OECD countries. This is in part because the US does not have a broad-based national sales tax, or a VAT.

March 16, 2020

March 16, 2020
IRS workforce over time
The IRS staff was around 73,500 full-time-equivalent employees in fiscal year 2018. The workforce has declined by over 35 percent between 1989 and 2018.

March 9, 2020

March 9, 2020
Corporate income tax revenues over time
Corporate income tax revenues have averaged around 10% of total federal revenues since the 1980s, but dropped to around 6% after the 2017 tax law reduced the tax rate from 35% to 21% and enacted temporary investment incentives.

March 2, 2020

March 2, 2020
State Sales Tax Rates
State general sales tax rates range from 2.9% in Colorado to 7.25% in California. Five states do not have a statewide general sales tax. In most states, localities also levy sales taxes, increasing the total sales tax rate paid.

February 24, 2020

February 24, 2020
Federal excise tax rate on gasoline
The federal excise tax on gasoline is 18.4 cents per gallon, and has not increased since 1993. If the tax rate was adjusted for inflation since 1993, it would be 33 cents per gallon in 2020.

February 17, 2020

February 17, 2020
State Gasoline Tax Rates
Virginia is considering its first increase in its statewide gasoline tax in 30+ years. Currently, state tax rates on gasoline range from 9 cents per gallon in Alaska to 58 cents per gallon in Pennsylvania.

February 10, 2020

February 10, 2020
State Cigarette Tax Rates
State cigarette tax rates in 2020 range from Missouri's 17 cents per pack to DC's $4.50 per pack. The rate is below $1 per pack in 14 states and above $4 per pack in 3 states and DC.

February 3, 2020

February 3, 2020