Where Do Our Income Tax Dollars Go?

[2006 Taxes vs. Government Expenditures]

Friends Committee on National Legislation, Washington newsletter, March 2007

For each dollar of federal income tax we paid in 2006, the federal government spent about:

41 cents - for war and preparing for war (28cents), and obligations from past wars (13 cents), including veterans programs and interest on the military portion of the national debt

19 cents - for health programs, including Medicaid, which provides nursing home care for the elderly poor, and health care for the poor and disabled, and parts of Medicare, which subsidizes health care for older Americans

12 cents - to respond to poverty in the U.S. with food programs, housing assistance, income supports, and energy assistance.

10 cents - for interest on the non-military portion of the national debt

5 cents - to promote community and economic development, including agricultural programs, highways and mass transit, and federal communications commission

5 cents - for education, job training, employment, and social services

4 cents - to run the government, including law enforcement, homeland security, and benefits for government employees

3 cents - for science, energy, and environmental programs

1 cent - for humanitarian aid, diplomatic missions, and international cooperation

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