Bacon's Rebellion

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Virginia State/Local Taxes Per Capita: $4,457

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by

James A. Bacon
in

State and local tax collections per capita, FY 2015. Source: The Tax Foundation. Click to enlarge map for better legibility.

State and local tax collections per capita in Virginia amounted to $4,457 in fiscal 2015, ranking the Old Dominion as the 23rd highest taxed state in the country, according to the Tax Foundation. We are the most heavily taxed state in the Southeast.

If you believe state/local government should spend and tax more, this data gives you ammo. We have plenty of room to raise taxes. If you think state/local government spends and taxes too much… this data gives you ammo. We have plenty of room to cut taxes.

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7 responses to “Virginia State/Local Taxes Per Capita: $4,457”

  1. TooManyTaxes Avatar
    TooManyTaxes

    As more and more people are predicting, Virginia is on its way to become New Jersey but without the growth in high compensation jobs.

    1. Reed Fawell 3rd Avatar
      Reed Fawell 3rd

      Agree totally. Va. is chasing down Md. fast, but not providing amenities.

  2. LarrytheG Avatar
    LarrytheG

    $7556 per capita – that’s what Virginians spend on health care.

    When you combine how much we pay in taxes and health care to other countries – even those countries that have much higher taxes – we still come out on top.

    In fact 2/3 of what we pay in taxes in Virginia – goes to subsidize others health care and education!

  3. Mergus Avatar
    Mergus

    This is obviously a Rorschach test. See what you feel is right in these numbers. Personally, I see that we are $1000 off the “tax haven” of Florida. And will gladly pay $1000 not to live in Florida.

    1. Reed Fawell 3rd Avatar
      Reed Fawell 3rd

      Speak for yourself, instead of insulting others.

  4. smoretva Avatar
    smoretva

    From the Tax Foundation page link in the article: “Taxes can be evaluated according to their marginal rates, effective rates, tax burdens, collections, and so on. While per capita measurements allow comparison across states with different populations, they do not show who is actually bearing the economic cost of the tax (the tax incidence or tax burden).”

    Part of Virginia’s no. 23 ranking reflects the relatively high incomes of Virginia residents, not the tax burdens for a given individual or family.

    An interesting comparison would be how the state/local tax burdens for individuals vary across states for individuals/families with similar characteristics (same income, deductions, etc.). I don’t think that analysis is readily available, but the Tax Foundation and KPMG publish such an analysis for hypothetical private-sector firms. See Location Matters, which is published every few years: https://taxfoundation.org/location-matters-2015/

  5. TBill Avatar
    TBill

    I think of Virginia as a bifercated state with high Tax NoVA and lower tax RoVA. So if you get the tax paid number for NoVA, we are not No. 23, we are more quickly approaching New Jersey.

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