News Release

See Where Each 2012 Tax Dollar Went

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JO COMERFORD
Comerford is executive director of the National Priorities Project. She said today: “Millions of Americans will file their 2012 federal income tax returns on Monday, but few know what happens to their tax dollars. That’s why National Priorities Project has launched Tax Day 2013 — to show exactly how each federal income tax dollar was spent in 2012, down to the penny.

“This analysis finds that the largest share of federal income taxes went to the military, which accounted for 26.5 cents of every dollar. Next was health care (20 cents), followed by interest on the federal debt (13.6 cents). Meanwhile, education programs accounted for 3.5 cents on the dollar and science took a single penny.” See the breakdown.

MATTEA KRAMER
Kramer is senior research analyst with the National Priorities Project. She said today: “This is a simple way of looking at how our tax dollars are spent, and yet it draws attention to some of the central budget issues facing our nation — including military spending and health care costs. Tax Day is a chance for Americans to see where their taxes are going, and to decide if Washington’s priorities match up with their own priorities for our nation.”