In 2018, Americans will pay $3.4 trillion in federal taxes and $1.8 trillion in state and local taxes, for a total bill of $5.2 trillion. That works out to 30 percent of the nation’s total income.
According to the Tax Foundation, that huge bill means, “Americans will collectively spend more on taxes in 2018 than they will on food, clothing, and housing combined.”
Not all states are created equal, however. The Tax Foundation reports that the 10 states with the best business tax climate are — in order — Wyoming, Alaska, South Dakota, Florida, Montana, New Hampshire, Oregon, Utah, Nevada, and Indiana.
The 10 states with the worst business tax climate are Vermont, Ohio, Minnesota, Louisiana, Iowa, Arkansas, Connecticut, New York, California, and New Jersey.
Each weekday, Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day explores interesting and newsworthy topics at the intersection of culture, politics, and technology. Columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.
Scott Rasmussen is founder and president of the Rasmussen Media Group. He is the author of "Mad as Hell: How the Tea Party Movement Is Fundamentally Remaking Our Two-Party System," "In Search of Self-Governance," and "The People’s Money: How Voters Will Balance the Budget and Eliminate the Federal Debt." Read more reports from Scott Rasmussen — Click Here Now.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.