Business & Tech

Graphic: What is the Federal Government Spending Your Tax Money On?

A new taxpayer receipt feature on the White House website provides the answers.

Today is an informal holiday of sorts—the annual day that taxes are due. (Usually it's on April 15, but this year there was an extension since that date fell on a Friday.)

It's not one that people celebrate except by grumbling at the government, the lines at the post office or occasionally by holding a political rally of some sort.

If it's any consolation to those who feel their tax money is not being well-spent, at least this year the government is providing some good insight into where the money is going. The White House's website now has a new taxpayer receipt program where you can enter your tax payments and find out roughly how much you've contributed to what programs.

Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.

For those who don't feel like fishing out their own personal data, below we've provided what a typical South Pasadena family might pay. 

For taxpayers of every income, the percentage spent on the income tax categories will be the same, but it should be noted that the amount spent on Social Security and Medicare versus the amount spent on income taxes can vary greatly for taxpayers depending on their income level. 

Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.

As with everywhere else, South Pasadena residents have vastly different incomes, but the latest federal survey shows South Pas median household income at about $80,412. This means half of the residents have higher incomes, and half have lower. So in the example below, we're looking at an average tax bill for a household with an annual income of $80,000 and two children. 

That household would pay a total of $9,983, of which $4,960 would go to Social Security taxes, $1,160 would go to Medicare taxes, and $3863 would go to income tax. The table breaks down how the $3863 that goes to income tax is split up.

Category Percent of income spent Dollars spent National Defense 26.3 $1015.97 Health Care 24.3 $938.71 Job and Family Security 21.9 $846 Net Interest 7.4 $285.86 Education and Job Training 4.8 $185.42 Veterans' Benefits 4.1 $158.38 Other Government Programs 2.4 $92.71 Natural Resources, Energy, and Environment 2.1 $81.12 Immigration, Law Enforcement, and Administration of Justice 2 $77.26 International Affairs 1.7 $65.67 Science, Space, and Technology Programs 1.2 $46.36 Agriculture 0.8 $30.90 Community, Area, and Regional Development 0.5 $19.32 Response to Natural Disasters 0.4 $15.45

On the White House page, some of the above categories are broken down into greater detail, allowing you to view subcategories.

Still haven't filed taxes?


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from South Pasadena