In addition to federalincome tax collected by the United States, most individual U.S. states collect a state income tax. Some local governments also impose an income tax, often based on state income tax calculations. Forty-one states, the District of Columbia, and many localities in the United States impose an income tax on individuals. Eight states impose no state income tax, and a ninth, New Hampshire, imposes an individual income tax on dividends and interest income but not other forms of income (though it will be phased out by 2025). Forty-seven states and many localities impose a tax on the income of corporations.[1]
State income tax is imposed at a fixed or graduated rate on taxable income of individuals, corporations, and certain estates and trusts. These tax rates vary by state and by entity type. Taxable income conforms closely to federal taxable income in most states with limited modifications.[2] States are prohibited from taxing income from federal bonds or other federal obligations. Most states do not tax Social Security benefits or interest income from obligations of that state. In computing the deduction for depreciation, several states require different useful lives and methods be used by businesses. Many states allow a standard deduction or some form of itemized deductions. States allow a variety of tax credits in computing tax.
Each state administers its own tax system. Many states also administer the tax return and collection process for localities within the state that impose income tax.
State income tax is allowed as an itemized deduction in computing federal income tax, subject to limitations for individuals.
Basic principles
State Tax Burdens 2022 % of income
State tax rules vary widely. The tax rate may be fixed for all income levels and taxpayers of a certain type, or it may be graduated. Tax rates may differ for individuals and corporations.
Most states conform to federal rules for determining:
characterization of business entities as either corporations, partnerships, or disregarded entities.
Gross income generally includes all income earned or received from whatever source with some exceptions. States are prohibited from taxing income from federal bonds or other federal obligations.[3] Most states also exempt income from bonds issued by that state or localities within the state as well as some portion or all of Social Security benefits. Many states provide tax exemption for certain other types of income, which varies widely by state. States uniformly allow reduction of gross income for cost of goods sold, though the computation of this amount may be subject to some modifications.
Most states provide for modification of both business and non-business deductions. All states taxing business income allow deduction for most business expenses. Many require that depreciation deductions be computed in manners different from at least some of those permitted for federal income tax purposes. For example, many states do not allow the additional first year bonus depreciation deduction.
Most states tax capital gain and dividend income in the same manner as other investment income. In this respect, individuals and corporations not resident in the state generally are not required to pay any income tax to that state with respect to such income.
Some states have alternative measures of tax. These include analogs to the federal Alternative Minimum Tax in 14 states,[4] as well as measures for corporations not based on income, such as capital stock taxes imposed by many states.
Income tax is self assessed, and individual and corporate taxpayers in all states imposing an income tax must file tax returns in each year their income exceeds certain amounts determined by each state. Returns are also required by partnerships doing business in the state. Many states require that a copy of the federal income tax return be attached to their state income tax returns. The deadline for filing returns varies by state and type of return, but for individuals in many states is the same as the federal deadline, typically April 15.
Every state, including those with no income tax, has a state taxing authority with power to examine (audit) and adjust returns filed with it. Most tax authorities have appeals procedures for audits, and all states permit taxpayers to go to court in disputes with the tax authorities. Procedures and deadlines vary widely by state. All states have a statute of limitations prohibiting the state from adjusting taxes beyond a certain period following filing returns.
All states have tax collection mechanisms. States with an income tax require employers to withhold state income tax on wages earned within the state. Some states have other withholding mechanisms, particularly with respect to partnerships. Most states require taxpayers to make quarterly estimated tax payments not expected to be satisfied by withholding tax.
All states impose penalties for failing to file required tax returns and/or pay tax when due. In addition, all states impose interest charges on late payments of tax, and generally also on additional taxes due upon adjustment by the taxing authority.[citation needed]
Individual income tax
The average effective state and local taxes for all states for different income groups. Sales taxes and excise taxes (blue), property taxes (green), state income taxes (red), and total taxes (clear).
Forty-three states impose a tax on the income of individuals, sometimes referred to as personal income tax. State income tax rates vary widely from state to state. States imposing an income tax on individuals tax all taxable income (as defined in the state) of residents. Such residents are allowed a credit for taxes paid to other states. Most states tax income of nonresidents earned within the state. Such income includes wages for services within the state as well as income from a business with operations in the state. Where income is from multiple sources, formulary apportionment may be required for nonresidents. Generally, wages are apportioned based on the ratio days worked in the state to total days worked.[6]
All states that impose an individual income tax allow most business deductions. However, many states impose different limits on certain deductions, especially depreciation of business assets. Most states allow non-business deductions in a manner similar to federal rules. Few allow a deduction for state income taxes, though some states allow a deduction for local income taxes. Six of the states allow a full or partial deduction for federal income tax.[7]
In addition, some states allow cities and/or counties to impose income taxes. For example, most Ohio cities and towns impose an income tax on individuals and corporations.[8] By contrast, in New York, only New York City and Yonkers impose a municipal income tax.[citation needed]
States with no individual income tax
States with no state individual income tax are in red; states taxing only dividend and interest income are in yellow.
Nine U.S. states do not levy a broad-based individual income tax. Some of these do tax certain forms of personal income:
Alaska – no individual tax but has a state corporate income tax. Alaska has no state sales tax, but lets local governments collect their own sales taxes. Alaska has an annual Permanent Fund Dividend, derived from oil revenues, for all citizens living in Alaska after one calendar year, except for some convicted of criminal offenses.[9]
Florida – no individual income tax[10] but has a 5.5% corporate income tax.[11] The state once had a tax on "intangible personal property" held on the first day of the year (stocks, bonds, mutual funds, money market funds, etc.), but it was abolished at the start of 2007.[12]
Nevada – no individual or corporate income tax. Nevada gets most of its revenue from sales taxes as well as taxes on the gambling and mining industries.[13][14]
New Hampshire – no individual income tax. The state taxes dividends and interest at 3% in 2024. The former 5% tax was decreasing by 1% each year, but a 2023 law accelerated the repeal to the start of 2025.[15] For large businesses, the 0.55% Business Enterprise Tax is essentially an income tax. The state also has a 7.5% (2024) Business Profits Tax.[16]
South Dakota – no individual income tax but has a state franchise income tax on financial institutions.[17]
Tennessee – has no individual income tax. In 2014 voters approved an amendment to the state constitution prohibiting state or local governments from levying any income tax.[18] Prior to January 1, 2021 Tennessee had the "Hall income tax", a tax on certain interest and dividend income from investments.
Texas – no individual income tax but imposes a franchise tax on corporations. In May 2007, the legislature modified the franchise tax by enacting a modified gross margin tax on certain businesses (sole proprietorships and some partnerships were automatically exempt; corporations with receipts below a certain level were also exempt as were corporations whose tax liability was also below a specified amount), which was amended in 2009 and again in 2023, both times to increase the exemption level (the 2023 amendment also eliminated the requirement to file an annual "non-payment form" and the nominal penalty for not doing so). The Texas Constitution bans the passage of an income tax with a 2/3 majority of the legislature required to repeal the ban.[19]
Washington – no individual tax but has a business and occupation tax (B&O) on gross receipts, applied to "almost all businesses located or doing business in Washington." It varies from 0.138% to 1.9% depending on the type of industry.[20][21] In July 2017, the Seattle City Council approved an income tax on Seattle residents, making the city the only one in the state with an income tax,[22] but it was ruled unconstitutional by the King County Superior Court.[23] The Court of Appeals upheld that ruling[24] and the Washington Supreme Court declined to hear the case.[25] In 2022 Washington began taxing capital gains exceeding $250,000.[26]
Wyoming – no individual or corporate income taxes.[27]
Pennsylvania – 3.07% [33](many municipalities in Pennsylvania assess a tax on wages: most are 1%, but can be as high as 3.75% in Philadelphia.[34] School districts may also impose an earned income tax up to Act 32 limits. [35][36] )
Utah – 4.85% (2022)
States with local income taxes in addition to state-level income tax
Green - States without state-level or local-level individual income taxes
Light Green - States with state-level individual income tax on interest and dividends only but no local-level individual income taxes
Yellow - States with state-level individual income tax but no local-level individual income taxes are in yellow.
Light Orange - States with state-level individual income tax and local-level individual income taxes on payroll only are in dark yellow/light orange.
Orange - States with state-level individual income tax and local-level individual income tax on interest and dividends only
Red - States with state-level and local-level individual income taxes
The following states have local income taxes. These are generally imposed at a flat rate and tend to apply to a limited set of income items.
Alabama:
Some counties, including Macon County, and municipalities, including Birmingham (employees on payroll only)
Some municipalities, including Denver and Aurora (flat-fee Occupational Privilege tax for privilege of working or conducting business; filed with municipality imposing fee)
Delaware:
Wilmington (earned, certain Schedule E income, as well as capital gains from sale of property used in business; income must be reported to the City of Wilmington if Wilmington tax is not withheld by employer.)
Indiana (all local taxes reported on state income tax form):
All counties
Iowa (all local taxes reported on state income tax form):
Some counties and municipalities (interest and dividend income; reported on separate state form 200 filed with the county clerk)
Kentucky:
Most counties, including Kenton County, Kentucky, and municipalities, including Louisville and Lexington (earned income and certain rental income that qualifies as a business; reported as Occupational License fee/tax by employer or as Net Profits tax by business, filed with county or municipality imposing tax)
Maryland (all local taxes reported on state income tax form):
All counties, and the independent city of Baltimore
Michigan:
Many cities, including Detroit, Lansing, and Flint (most income above a certain annual threshold; reported on form issued by imposing city or on separate state form 5118/5119/5120 in the case of Detroit)
Missouri (all other cities are prohibited from imposing local income tax):
Kansas City (earned income; income must be reported to Kansas City if city tax is not withheld by employer; residents must file the Earnings tax form to report wages on which Kansas City income tax is not withheld and the Business Earnings tax form to report self-employment income)
St. Louis (earned income; income must be reported to the City of St. Louis if St. Louis tax is not withheld by employer; residents must file the Earnings tax form to report wages on which St. Louis income tax is not withheld and the Business Earnings tax form to report self-employment income)
Metropolitan Commuter Transportation District (self-employed with income sourced from New York City, as well as the counties of Dutchess, Nassau, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Suffolk, and Westchester)
Ohio:
Some school districts (either traditional or earned income tax base; reported on separate state form SD-100).
Most cities and villages (more than 600[38] out of 931) on earned income and rental income. Some municipalities require all residents over a certain age to file, while others require residents to file only if municipal income tax is not withheld by employer. Income is reported on a tax form issued by the municipal income tax collector, currently Cleveland's Central Collection Agency (CCA) or the Regional Income Tax Authority (RITA), or a collecting municipality. Municipalities such as Columbus and Cincinnati sometimes also collect for neighboring towns and villages.
Oregon:
Portland (all residents must file an Arts Tax form with the city to either pay the flat-fee tax or qualify for an exemption based on low individual or household income)
Lane Transit District (self-employed with income sourced from Lane Transit District, which includes parts of Lane County; reported on separate state tax form LTD)
Other transit districts (businesses with income sourced from those transit districts; filed with transit districts or municipalities administering transit districts)
Pennsylvania:
Most municipalities, including Pittsburgh and Allentown, and school districts (earned income only; local return must be filed by all residents of municipality or school district imposing local earned income tax with the local earned income tax collector, such as Berkheimer, Keystone Collections, or Jordan Tax Service; an additional local services tax, potentially refundable if income is below a certain threshold, is also imposed by some municipalities and school districts on earned income sourced from those municipalities and school districts; local earned income tax collectors, rates, and local service tax refund rules can be found on the Pennsylvania Municipal Statistics website)
Philadelphia (earned and passive income; income must be reported to the City of Philadelphia if Philadelphia tax is not withheld by employer; residents must file the Earnings tax form to report wages on which Philadelphia income tax is not withheld, the Net Profits tax form to report self-employment, business, and most rental income, and the School Income tax to report passive income excluding interest earned from checking and savings accounts; an additional Business Income and Receipts Tax is also imposed on business income sourced from Philadelphia; individuals earning less than amount that would qualify them for the Pennsylvania income tax forgiveness program are eligible to receive a partial refund of their wage tax withheld by filing a refund application)
West Virginia:
Some municipalities, including Charleston and Huntington (flat City Service fee for privilege of working or conducting business; filed with municipality imposing fee)
Corporate income tax
State Corporate Taxes (2022)
Most states impose a tax on income of corporations having sufficient connection ("nexus") with the state. Such taxes apply to U.S. and foreign corporations, and are not subject to tax treaties. Such tax is generally based on business income of the corporation apportioned to the state plus nonbusiness income only of resident corporations. Most state corporate income taxes are imposed at a flat rate and have a minimum amount of tax. Business taxable income in most states is defined, at least in part, by reference to federal taxable income.
According to taxfoundation.org, these states have no state corporate income tax as of Feb 1, 2020: Nevada, Ohio, South Dakota, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming. However, Nevada, Ohio, and Washington impose a gross receipts tax while Texas has a franchise tax based on "taxable margin", generally defined as sales less either cost of goods sold less compensation, with complete exemption (no tax owed) for less than $1MM in annual earnings and gradually increasing to a maximum tax of 1% based on net revenue, where net revenue can be calculated in the most advantageous of four different ways.[39][40]
There must be a "substantial nexus" (connection) between the taxpayer's activities and the state,
The tax must not discriminate against interstate commerce,
The tax must be fairly apportioned, and
There must be a fair relationship to services provided.
Substantial nexus (referred to generally as simply "nexus") is a general U.S. Constitutional requirement that is subject to interpretation, generally by the state's comptroller or tax office, and often in administrative "letter rulings".
In Quill Corp. v. North Dakota[42] the Supreme Court of the United States confirmed the holding of National Bellas Hess v. Illinois[43] that a corporation or other tax entity must maintain a physical presence in the state (such as physical property, employees, officers) for the state to be able to require it to collect sales or use tax. The Supreme Court's physical presence requirement in Quill is likely limited to sales and use tax nexus, but the Court specifically stated that it was silent with respect to all other types of taxes [42] ("Although we have not, in our review of other types of taxes, articulated the same physical-presence requirement that Bellas Hess established for sales and use taxes, that silence does not imply repudiation of the Bellas Hess rule."). Whether Quill applies to corporate income and similar taxes is a point of contention between states and taxpayers.[44] The "substantial nexus" requirement of Complete Auto, supra, has been applied to corporate income tax by numerous state supreme courts.[45]
The courts have held that the requirement for fair apportionment may be met by apportioning between jurisdictions all business income of a corporation based on a formula using the particular corporation's details.[46] Many states use a three factor formula, averaging the ratios of property, payroll, and sales within the state to that overall. Some states weight the formula. Some states use a single factor formula based on sales.[47]
State capital gains taxes
Most states tax capital gains as ordinary income. Most states that do not tax income (Alaska, Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and Wyoming) do not tax capital gains either. However, two states, New Hampshire and Washington State, do tax income from dividends and interest.[48]
History
The first state income tax, as the term is understood today in the United States, was passed by the State of Wisconsin in 1911 and came into effect in 1912. However, the idea of taxing income has a long history.
Some of the English colonies in North America taxed property (mostly farmland at that time) according to its assessed produce, rather than, as now, according to assessed resale value. Some of these colonies also taxed "faculties" of making income in ways other than farming, assessed by the same people who assessed property. These taxes taken together can be considered a sort of income tax.[49] The records of no colony covered by Rabushka[50] (the colonies that became part of the United States) separated the property and faculty components, and most records indicate amounts levied rather than collected, so much is unknown about the effectiveness of these taxes, up to and including whether the faculty part was actually collected at all.
Colonies with laws taxing both property and faculties
Rabushka makes it clear that Massachusetts and Connecticut actually levied these taxes regularly, while for the other colonies such levies happened much less often; South Carolina levied no direct taxes from 1704 through 1713, for example. Becker,[51] however, sees faculty taxes as routine parts of several colonies' finances, including Pennsylvania.
During and after the American Revolution, although property taxes were evolving toward the modern resale-value model, several states continued to collect faculty taxes.
States with faculty taxes
Massachusetts until 1916 (when it was replaced by a quasi-modern classified individual income tax);
Connecticut until 1819;
South Carolina, where the tax edged closer to a modern income tax, until 1868;
the Vermont Republic, then Vermont as a state, from 1778 to 1850;
and Pennsylvania from 1782 to 1840 (when it was replaced by an individual income tax; Becker, as noted above, would date this tax earlier).
Between the enactment of the Constitution and 1840, no new general taxes on income appeared. In 1796, Delaware abolished its faculty tax, and in 1819 Connecticut followed suit. On the other hand, in 1835, Pennsylvania instituted a tax on bank dividends, paid by withholding, which by about 1900 produced half its total revenue.[53]
Several states, mostly in the South, instituted taxes related to income in the 1840s; some of these claimed to tax total income, while others explicitly taxed only specific categories, these latter sometimes called classified income taxes. These taxes may have been spurred by the ideals of Jacksonian democracy,[54] or by fiscal difficulties resulting from the Panic of 1837.[55] None of these taxes produced much revenue, partly because they were collected by local elected officials.
Early state income taxes
Pennsylvania from 1840 to 1871;
Maryland from 1841 to 1850;
Alabama from 1843 to 1884;
Virginia from 1843 to 1926 (when it was replaced by a modern individual income tax);
Florida from 1845 to 1855;
and North Carolina from 1849 to 1921 (when it was replaced by a modern individual income tax).
The 1850s brought another few income tax abolitions: Maryland and Vermont in 1850, and Florida in 1855.
During the American Civil War and Reconstruction Era, when both the United States of America (1861-1871) and the Confederate States of America (1863-1865) instituted income taxes, so did several states.[56]
As with the national taxes, these were made in various ways to produce substantial revenue, for the first time in the history of American income taxation. On the other hand, as soon as the war ended, a wave of abolitions began: Missouri in 1865, Georgia in 1866, South Carolina in 1868, Pennsylvania and Texas in 1871, and Kentucky in 1872.
The rest of the century balanced new taxes with abolitions: Delaware levied a tax on several classes of income in 1869, then abolished it in 1871; Tennessee instituted a tax on dividends and bond interest in 1883, but Kinsman reports[59] that by 1903 it had produced zero actual revenue; Alabama abolished its income tax in 1884; South Carolina instituted a new one in 1897 (eventually abolished in 1918); and Louisiana abolished its income tax in 1899.
Following the 1895 Supreme Court decision in Pollock v. Farmers' Loan & Trust Co. which effectively ended a federal income tax, some more states instituted their own along the lines established in the 19th century:
Old-fashioned state income taxes
Oklahoma 1908 to 1915;
Mississippi 1912 to 1924;
Missouri, individual and corporate, from 1917.
However, other states, some perhaps spurred by Populism, some certainly by Progressivism, instituted taxes incorporating various measures long used in Europe, but considerably less common in America, such as withholding, corporate income taxation (as against earlier taxes on corporate capital), and especially the defining feature of a "modern" income tax, central administration by bureaucrats rather than local elected officials. The twin revenue-raising successes of Wisconsin's 1911 (the Wisconsin Income Tax, the first "modern" State Income Tax was passed in 1911 and came into effect in 1912) and the United States' 1914 income taxes prompted imitation.[60] Note that writers on the subject sometimes distinguish between corporate "net income" taxes, which are straightforward corporate income taxes, and corporate "franchise" taxes, which are taxes levied on corporations for doing business in a state, sometimes based on net income. Many states' constitutions were interpreted as barring direct income taxation, and franchise taxes were seen as legal ways to evade these bars.[61] The term "franchise tax" has nothing to do with the voting franchise, and franchise taxes only apply to individuals insofar as they do business. Note that some states actually levy both corporate net income taxes and corporate franchise taxes based on net income. For the following list, see [62] and.[63]
Progressive Era state income taxes
The Territory of Hawaii, then Hawaii as a state, individual and corporate from 1901 (this is sometimes claimed as the oldest state income tax; it is certainly the oldest state corporate income tax);
Wisconsin, individual and corporate from 1911 (generally considered the first modern state income tax, built on a law largely written by Delos Kinsman,[64] whose 1903 book on the subject is cited above; its major distinction as against older laws, including Hawaii's,[65] is that state bureaucrats rather than local assessors collected it);
Connecticut, franchise, from 1915;
Oklahoma, modernisation of existing individual tax, from 1915;
Massachusetts, individual, from 1916;
Virginia, corporate, from 1916;
Delaware, individual, from 1917;
Montana, franchise, from 1917;
New York, franchise, from 1917;
Note abolition of South Carolina's non-modern individual income tax in 1918;
New Mexico, individual and corporate, 1919, apparently abolished soon thereafter;
New York, individual, from 1919;
North Dakota, individual and corporate, from 1919;
Massachusetts, corporate (franchise), from 1919 or 1920;
Mississippi's income tax was held to apply to corporations in 1921;
North Carolina, modernisation of existing individual and institution of corporate taxes, from 1921;
South Carolina, individual and corporate, from 1921 or 1922;
New Hampshire, "intangibles" (restricted to interest and dividends), from 1923;
Oregon, individual and corporate, 1923 (repealed 1924);[66]
Tennessee, corporate, from 1923;
Mississippi, modernisation of existing corporate and individual taxes, from 1924;
Virginia, modernisation of existing corporate and individual taxes, from 1926.
This period coincided with the United States' acquisition of colonies, or dependencies: the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Guam from Spain in the Spanish–American War, 1898–99; American Samoa by agreements with local leaders, 1899-1904; the Panama Canal Zone by agreement from Panama in 1904; and the U.S. Virgin Islands purchased from Denmark in 1917. (Arguably, Alaska, purchased from Russia in 1867, and Hawaii, annexed in 1900, were also dependencies, but both were by 1903 "incorporated" in the U.S., which these others never have been.) The Panama Canal Zone was essentially a company town, but the others all began levying income taxes under American rule. (Puerto Rico already had an income tax much like a faculty tax, which remained in effect for a short time after 1898.)[67]
Early territorial income taxes
The Philippines and Puerto Rico, from 1913, by the same law that instituted the federal income tax; this law is ancestral to the modern independent Philippines' income tax as well;[68][69] and
A third of the current state individual income taxes, and still more of the current state corporate income taxes, were instituted during the decade after the Great Depression started:[63][71][72][73]
Depression state income taxes
Arkansas, individual and corporate, from 1929;
California, franchise, from 1929;
Georgia, individual and corporate, from 1929;
Oregon, individual, franchise, and intangibles, from 1929, but the individual tax didn't take effect until 1930 and was restricted to use for property tax relief, and the intangibles tax was held unconstitutional in 1930;[74]
Tennessee, intangibles, from 1929;
Idaho, individual and corporate, from 1931;
Ohio, intangibles, from 1931, apparently abolished soon thereafter;
Oklahoma, corporate, from 1931;
Oregon, intangibles, 1931 to 1939;
Utah, individual and franchise, from 1931;
Vermont, individual and corporate, from 1931;
Illinois, individual and corporate, 1932, soon declared unconstitutional;
Washington, individual and corporate, 1932, declared unconstitutional 1933;[75]
Alabama, individual and corporate, from 1933;
Arizona, individual and corporate, from 1933;
Kansas, individual and corporate, from 1933;
Minnesota, individual, corporate, and franchise, from 1933;
Montana, individual and corporate, from 1933;
New Mexico, individual and corporate, from 1933;
Iowa, individual and franchise, from 1934;
Louisiana, individual and corporate, from 1934;
California, individual and corporate, from 1935;
Pennsylvania, franchise, from 1935;
South Dakota, individual and corporate, 1935 to 1943;
The U.S. Virgin Islands income tax in 1935 became the first "mirror" tax, for which see below;
Washington, individual and corporate, 1935, held unconstitutional in separate decisions the same year;[75]
West Virginia, individual, 1935 to 1942;
Kentucky, individual and corporate, from 1936;
Colorado, individual and corporate, from 1937;
Maryland, individual and corporate, from 1937;
District of Columbia, individual and either corporate or franchise, from 1939.
A "mirror" tax is a tax in a U.S. dependency in which the dependency adopts wholesale the U.S. federal income tax code, revising it by substituting the dependency's name for "United States" everywhere, and vice versa. The effect is that residents pay the equivalent of the federal income tax to the dependency, rather than to the U.S. government. Although mirroring formally came to an end with the Tax Reform Act of 1986, it remains the law as seen by the U.S. for Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands because conditions to its termination have not yet been met.[76] In any event, the other mirror tax dependencies (the U.S. Virgin Islands and American Samoa) are free to continue mirroring if, and as much as, they wish.
The U.S. acquired one more dependency from Japan in World War II: the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands.
Two states, South Dakota and West Virginia, abolished Depression-era income taxes in 1942 and 1943, but these were nearly the last abolitions. For about twenty years after World War II, new state income taxes appeared at a somewhat slower pace, and most were corporate net income or corporate franchise taxes:[72][73]
Post-World War II state income taxes
Rhode Island, corporate, from 1947;
The Territory of Alaska, then Alaska as a state, individual and corporate, from 1949;
As early as 1957 General Motors protested a proposed corporate income tax in Michigan with threats of moving manufacturing out of the state.[80] However, Michigan led off the most recent group of new income taxes:[73]
Great Society state income taxes
Michigan, individual and corporate (this replacing a value-added tax),[81] from 1967;
Nebraska, individual and corporate, from 1967;
Maryland, individual (added county withholding tax and non resident tax. Believes led to state being mainly a commuter state for work) 1967, Present
West Virginia, corporate, from 1967;
Connecticut, intangibles (but taxing capital gains and not interest), from 1969;
Illinois, individual and corporate, from 1969;
Maine, individual and corporate, from 1969;
New Hampshire, corporate, from 1970;
Florida, franchise, from 1971;
Ohio, individual and corporate, from 1971;
Pennsylvania, individual, from 1971;
Rhode Island, individual, from 1971;
The Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, individual and corporate, from 1971.
In the early 1970s, Pennsylvania and Ohio competed for businesses with Ohio wooing industries with a reduced corporate income tax but Pennsylvania warning that Ohio had higher municipal taxes that included taxes on inventories, machinery and equipment.[82]
Michigan abolished its corporate income tax in 1975, replacing it with another value-added tax;[83]
New Jersey instituted an individual income tax in 1976;
The Northern Mariana Islands negotiated with the U.S. in 1975 a mirror tax which was to go into effect in 1979, but in 1979 enacted a law rebating that tax partially or entirely each year and levying a simpler income tax;[84][85]
Alaska abolished its individual income tax retroactive to 1979[86] in 1980.
(Also during this time the U.S. began returning the Panama Canal Zone to Panama in 1979, and self-government, eventually to lead to independence, began between 1979 and 1981 in all parts of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands except for the Northern Mariana Islands. The resulting countries - the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and Palau - all levy income taxes today.)
The only subsequent individual income tax instituted to date is Connecticut's, from 1991, replacing the earlier intangibles tax. The median family income in many of the state's suburbs was nearly twice that of families living in urban areas. Governor Lowell Weicker's administration imposed a personal income tax to address the inequities of the sales tax system, and implemented a program to modify state funding formulas so that urban communities received a larger share.[87]
Numerous states with income taxes have considered measures to abolish those taxes since the Late-2000s recession began, and several states without income taxes have considered measures to institute them, but only one such proposal has been enacted: Michigan replaced its more recent value-added tax with a new corporate income tax in 2009.
Rates by jurisdiction
Total State Government Tax Revenue By Type in 2020
During a special session of the Arkansas Legislature in June, 2024, the top personal income tax rate was reduced from 4.4% to 3.9% retroactively effective beginning January 1, 2024. The previous 4.4% top rate had been approved during a special session of the Arkansas Legislature in September, 2023. The top rate beginning January 1, 2023 had been retroactively reduced to 4.7% during the spring 2023 regular session of the legislature. Previously, during a special session in August, 2022, the top personal income tax rate was reduced to 4.9% retroactively effective to January 1, 2022, instead of 2025 as was originally planned while also marking the first time since 1971 that the top income tax rate has been 5.0% or lower.
$102,324.86 + 13.30% of the amount over $1,000,000
California's listed tax brackets from 1%-12.3% are indexed for inflation and were most recently by 2012 California Proposition 30. There state has a 1% Mental Health Services surtax (Form 540, line 62) for incomes above $1 million that creates the maximum bracket of 13.3%. California also separately imposes a state Alternative Minimum Tax (Form 540, line 52) at a 7% rate, so a taxpayer may end up paying both the AMT and the 1% surtax.
State governments have not imposed income taxes since World War II.
Between 1915 and 1942, income taxes were levied by both state governments and the federal government. In 1942, to help fund World War II, the federal government took over the raising of all income tax, to the exclusion of the states. The loss of the states' ability to raise revenue by income taxation was offset by federal government grants to the states and, later, the devolution of the power to levy payroll taxes to the states in 1971.[106]
The United States has separate federal, state, and local governments with taxes imposed at each of these levels. Taxes are levied on income, payroll, property, sales, capital gains, dividends, imports, estates and gifts, as well as various fees. In 2020, taxes collected by federal, state, and local governments amounted to 25.5% of GDP, below the OECD average of 33.5% of GDP.
A flat tax is a tax with a single rate on the taxable amount, after accounting for any deductions or exemptions from the tax base. It is not necessarily a fully proportional tax. Implementations are often progressive due to exemptions, or regressive in case of a maximum taxable amount. There are various tax systems that are labeled "flat tax" even though they are significantly different. The defining characteristic is the existence of only one tax rate other than zero, as opposed to multiple non-zero rates that vary depending on the amount subject to taxation.
An income tax is a tax imposed on individuals or entities (taxpayers) in respect of the income or profits earned by them. Income tax generally is computed as the product of a tax rate times the taxable income. Taxation rates may vary by type or characteristics of the taxpayer and the type of income.
A dividend tax is a tax imposed by a jurisdiction on dividends paid by a corporation to its shareholders (stockholders). The primary tax liability is that of the shareholder, though a tax obligation may also be imposed on the corporation in the form of a withholding tax. In some cases the withholding tax may be the extent of the tax liability in relation to the dividend. A dividend tax is in addition to any tax imposed directly on the corporation on its profits. Some jurisdictions do not tax dividends.
In Canada, taxation is a prerogative shared between the federal government and the various provincial and territorial legislatures.
A corporate tax, also called corporation tax or company tax, is a type of direct tax levied on the income or capital of corporations and other similar legal entities. The tax is usually imposed at the national level, but it may also be imposed at state or local levels in some countries. Corporate taxes may be referred to as income tax or capital tax, depending on the nature of the tax.
Although the actual definitions vary between jurisdictions, in general, a direct tax is a tax imposed upon a person or property as distinct from a tax imposed upon a transaction, which is described as an indirect tax. There is a distinction between direct and indirect taxes depending on whether the tax payer is the actual taxpayer or if the amount of tax is supported by a third party, usually a client. The term may be used in economic and political analyses, but does not itself have any legal implications except in the United States of America, where the term has special constitutional significance because of two provisions in the U.S. Constitution that any direct taxes imposed by the national government be apportioned among the states on the basis of population; and in the European Union, where direct taxation remains the sole responsibility of member states.
Tax withholding, also known as tax retention, pay-as-you-earn tax or tax deduction at source, is income tax paid to the government by the payer of the income rather than by the recipient of the income. The tax is thus withheld or deducted from the income due to the recipient. In most jurisdictions, tax withholding applies to employment income. Many jurisdictions also require withholding taxes on payments of interest or dividends. In most jurisdictions, there are additional tax withholding obligations if the recipient of the income is resident in a different jurisdiction, and in those circumstances withholding tax sometimes applies to royalties, rent or even the sale of real estate. Governments use tax withholding as a means to combat tax evasion, and sometimes impose additional tax withholding requirements if the recipient has been delinquent in filing tax returns, or in industries where tax evasion is perceived to be common.
An S corporation, for United States federal income tax, is a closely held corporation that makes a valid election to be taxed under Subchapter S of Chapter 1 of the Internal Revenue Code. In general, S corporations do not pay any income taxes. Instead, the corporation's income and losses are divided among and passed through to its shareholders. The shareholders must then report the income or loss on their own individual income tax returns.
The United States federal government and most state governments impose an income tax. They are determined by applying a tax rate, which may increase as income increases, to taxable income, which is the total income less allowable deductions. Income is broadly defined. Individuals and corporations are directly taxable, and estates and trusts may be taxable on undistributed income. Partnerships are not taxed, but their partners are taxed on their shares of partnership income. Residents and citizens are taxed on worldwide income, while nonresidents are taxed only on income within the jurisdiction. Several types of credits reduce tax, and some types of credits may exceed tax before credits. Most business expenses are deductible. Individuals may deduct certain personal expenses, including home mortgage interest, state taxes, contributions to charity, and some other items. Some deductions are subject to limits, and an Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) applies at the federal and some state levels.
Income tax in Australia is imposed by the federal government on the taxable income of individuals and corporations. State governments have not imposed income taxes since World War II. On individuals, income tax is levied at progressive rates, and at one of two rates for corporations. The income of partnerships and trusts is not taxed directly, but is taxed on its distribution to the partners or beneficiaries. Income tax is the most important source of revenue for government within the Australian taxation system. Income tax is collected on behalf of the federal government by the Australian Taxation Office.
Tax consolidation, or combined reporting, is a regime adopted in the tax or revenue legislation of a number of countries which treats a group of wholly owned or majority-owned companies and other entities as a single entity for tax purposes. This generally means that the head entity of the group is responsible for all or most of the group's tax obligations. Consolidation is usually an all-or-nothing event: once the decision to consolidate has been made, companies are irrevocably bound. Only by having less than a 100% interest in a subsidiary can that subsidiary be left out of the consolidation.
Income taxes in Canada constitute the majority of the annual revenues of the Government of Canada, and of the governments of the Provinces of Canada. In the fiscal year ending March 31, 2018, the federal government collected just over three times more revenue from personal income taxes than it did from corporate income taxes.
Income taxes are the most significant form of taxation in Australia, and collected by the federal government through the Australian Taxation Office. Australian GST revenue is collected by the Federal government, and then paid to the states under a distribution formula determined by the Commonwealth Grants Commission.
The tax system of the Russian Federation is a complex of relationships between fiscal authorities and taxpayers in the field of all existing taxes and fees. It implies continuous communication of all its members and related objects: payers; legislative framework; oversight authorities; types of mandatory payments. The Russian Tax Code is the primary tax law for the Russian Federation. The Code was created, adopted and implemented in three stages.
Corporate tax is imposed in the United States at the federal, most state, and some local levels on the income of entities treated for tax purposes as corporations. Since January 1, 2018, the nominal federal corporate tax rate in the United States of America is a flat 21% following the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. State and local taxes and rules vary by jurisdiction, though many are based on federal concepts and definitions. Taxable income may differ from book income both as to timing of income and tax deductions and as to what is taxable. The corporate Alternative Minimum Tax was also eliminated by the 2017 reform, but some states have alternative taxes. Like individuals, corporations must file tax returns every year. They must make quarterly estimated tax payments. Groups of corporations controlled by the same owners may file a consolidated return.
Taxes in Switzerland are levied by the Swiss Confederation, the cantons and the municipalities.
Taxes in Germany are levied at various government levels: the federal government, the 16 states (Länder), and numerous municipalities (Städte/Gemeinden). The structured tax system has evolved significantly, since the reunification of Germany in 1990 and the integration within the European Union, which has influenced tax policies. Today, income tax and Value-Added Tax (VAT) are the primary sources of tax revenue. These taxes reflect Germany's commitment to a balanced approach between direct and indirect taxation, essential for funding extensive social welfare programs and public infrastructure. The modern German tax system accentuate on fairness and efficiency, adapting to global economic trends and domestic fiscal needs.
In Slovakia, taxes are levied by the state and local governments. Tax revenue stood at 19.3% of the country's gross domestic product in 2021. The tax-to-GDP ratio in Slovakia deviates from OECD average of 34.0% by 0.8 percent and in 2022 was 34.8% which ranks Slovakia 19th in the tax-to-GDP ratio comparison among the OECD countries. The most important revenue sources for the state government are income tax, social security, value-added tax and corporate tax.
Taxation in Belgium consists of taxes that are collected on both state and local level. The most important taxes are collected on federal level, these taxes include an income tax, social security, corporate taxes and value added tax. At the local level, property taxes as well as communal taxes are collected. Tax revenue stood at 48% of GDP in 2012.
References
↑ States with no individual income tax are Alaska, Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, Texas and Wyoming. States with no corporate income tax are Nevada, South Dakota, and Wyoming. For tables of information on state taxes, see, e.g., 2009 State Tax Handbook, CCH, ISBN9780808019213 (hereafter "CCH") or later editions, or All States Handbook, 2010 Edition, RIA Thomson, ISBN978-0-7811-0415-9 ("RIA") or later editions.
↑ Exceptions are Arkansas, Iowa, Mississippi, New Hampshire (interest and dividends only, phased out from 2023 and eliminated in 2025), New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, none of which use federal taxable income as a starting point in computing state taxable income. Colorado adjusts federal taxable income only for state income tax, interest on federal obligations, a limited subtraction for pensions, payments to the state college tuition fund, charitable contributions for those claiming the standard deduction, and a few other items of limited applicability. See 2010 Colorado individual income tax bookletArchived 2010-12-25 at the Wayback Machine .
↑ "Publications". Ohio Department of Taxation. Archived from the original on 21 June 2013. Retrieved 5 June 2013. Since 1975, the department has published a Brief Summary of Major State & Local Taxes in Ohio, designed to be a quick overview of all of the state's significant state and local taxes.
↑ Insider Viewpoint of Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada USA (2009-07-01). "Taxes - Las Vegas - Nevada". Insidervlv.com. Archived from the original on 2013-05-25. Retrieved 2013-06-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
↑ Bankrate.com. "Nevada". Bankrate.com. Archived from the original on 2013-06-02. Retrieved 2013-06-09.
↑ See, e.g., Tax Commissioner of the State of West Virginia v. MBNA America Bank, 220 W. Va. 163, 640 S.E.2d 226, 231 (2006), cert. denied, 551 U.S. 1141.
↑ See, generally, MBNA, supra, and Geoffrey, Inc. v. South Carolina Tax Commission, 313 S.C. 15, 437 S.E.2d 13
↑ See, e.g., the discussion in Hellerstein, Hellerstein & Youngman, State and Local Taxation, Chapter 8 section C. ISBN0-314-15376-4.
↑ For a compilation of formulas, see State Tax Handbook published annually by CCH.
↑ Seligman, Edwin R.A. (1914). The Income Tax: A Study of the History, Theory, and Practice of Income Taxation at Home and Abroad. Second edition, revised and enlarged with a new chapter. New York: The Macmillan Company. Underlies most of the history section through 1911, although several examples of sloppiness are recorded below, but for the faculty taxes and Seligman's evaluation of them as income taxes, see Part II Chapter I, pp. 367-387.
↑ Rabushka, Alvin (2008). Taxation in Colonial America. Princeton: Princeton University Press. ISBN978-0-691-13345-4
↑ Becker, Robert A. (1980). Revolution, Reform, and the Politics of American Taxation, 1763-1783. Baton Rouge and London: Louisiana State University Press. ISBN0-8071-0654-2
↑ Kinsman, Delos Oscar (1900). The Income Tax in the Commonwealths of the United States. Ithaca: Publications of the American Economic Association, Third Series, Vol. IV, No. 4. A source for the history section through 1900 in general, but specifically for the Virginia faculty tax see pp. 13-14. The tax from 1786 to 1790 referred to by Seligman, p. 380, is simply a tax on court clerks also mentioned by Kinsman, and as a tax on a single occupation is not listed here. Later writers have typically followed Seligman, but the tax referred to by Kinsman is in fact reported in the sources he cites, Hennings' Statutes at Large, volumes IX pp. 350, 353-354, and 548, and amended out of existence where he says, Hennings volume XI p. 112. For the 1786-1790 tax see Hennings volume XII pp. 283-284 and repeal in volume XIII p. 114
↑ Comstock, Alzada (1921). State Taxation of Personal Incomes. Volume CI, Number 1, or Whole Number 229, of Studies in History, Economics and Public Law edited by the Faculty of Political Science of Columbia University. New York: Columbia University. On the Panic of 1837 see p. 14.
↑ Kinsman, p. 102; the date 1860 reported by Seligman, p. 413, is clearly a typo, since the two writers use the same reference, the Texas Laws of 1863, chapter 33, section 3.
↑ Kinsman, p. 100; Seligman, p. 413, says 1864, but the common reference, the Louisiana Laws of 1864 act 55 section 3, is in fact to Laws of 1864-1865, and this law was enacted in April 1865.
↑ State Taxation of Interstate Commerce. Report of the Special Subcommittee on State Taxation of Interstate Commerce of the Committee on the Judiciary, House of Representatives. Pursuant to Public Law 86-272, as Amended. 88th Congress, 2d Session, House Report No. 1480, volume 1. (Usually abbreviated House Report 88-1480.) Often referred to as the "Willis committee report" after chair Edwin E. Willis. See p. 99.
↑ Foster, Roger (1915). A Treatise on the Federal Income Tax under the Act of 1913. Second edition. Rochester, N.Y.: The Lawyers Co-operative Publishing Co. Pp. 889-894.
↑ Legislative Interim Tax Study Committee (1958). Development of State Income Taxes in the United States and Oregon. Salem, OR. Pp. 21-22.
↑ Rowe, L[eo] S. (1904). The United States and Porto Rico. New York: Longmans, Green, and Co., but seen as New York: Arno Press, 1975, ISBN0-405-06235-4. Pp. 188-190.
↑ Tantuico, Francisco Sr., and Francisco Tantuico Jr. (1961). Rules and Rulings on the Philippine Income Tax. Tacloban: The Leyte Publishing Corp. Pp. 3-5.
↑ Clark, Victor S., et alii (1930). Porto Rico and Its Problems. Washington: The Brookings Institution. P. 200.
↑ Chyatte, Scott G. (1988). "Taxation through the Looking Glass: The Mirror Theory and the Income Tax System of the U.S. Virgin Islands before and after the Tax Reform Act of 1986". Pp. 170-205 of Volume 6, Issue 1 of Berkeley Journal of International LawArchived 2013-11-13 at the Wayback Machine . Pp. 173-176.
↑ Blakey, Roy G., and Violet Johnson (1942). State Income Taxes. New York: Commerce Clearing House. List pp.3-4.
1 2 Penniman, Clara, and Walter W. Heller (1959). State Income Tax Administration. Chicago: Public Administration Service. Chart pp. 7-8.
1 2 3 4 Penniman, Clara (1980). State Income Taxation. Baltimore and London: The Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN0-8018-2290-4. Chart pp. 2-3.
↑ Legislative Interim Tax Study Committee, pp. 24-28.
1 2 Washington State Research Council (1964). A State Income Tax: pro & con. Pp. 6-7.
↑ Joint Committee on Taxation (2012). Federal Tax Law and Issues Related to the United States Territories. JCX-41-12. Pp. 8, 20, and 22.
↑ Legislative Interim Tax Study Committee, pp. 35-36.
↑ Department of the Treasury (1979). Territorial Income Tax Systems: Income Taxation in the Virgin Islands, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and American Samoa. Washington. P. 28.
↑ House Fiscal Agency (2003). Background and History: Michigan's Single Business Tax. "Archived copy"(PDF). Archived(PDF) from the original on 2013-12-02. Retrieved 2013-11-23.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link), accessed 22nd November 2013, p. 5
↑ Tax Division, Department of Revenue, State of Alaska (2012). Annual Report Fiscal Year 2012. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2013-09-22. Retrieved 2013-11-23.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link), accessed 22nd November 2013. P. 84.
↑ "Colorado"(PDF). Tax Foundation. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
↑ Janelle Cammenga (2015). "Title 12 | Chapter 208 - Corporation Business Tax". General Statutes of Connecticut(PDF). Hartford: Connecticut General Assembly. Retrieved 18 December 2015.
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