How does Arkansas’s tax code compare? Arkansas has a graduated state individual income tax, with rates ranging from 2.00 percent to 4.40 percent. Arkansas has a graduated corporate income tax, with rates ranging from 1.0 percent to 4.8 percent. Arkansas also has a 6.50 percent state sales tax rate and an average combined state and local sales tax rate of 9.45 percent. Arkansas has a 0.53 percent effective property tax rate on owner-occupied housing value.
Arkansas does not have an estate tax or inheritance tax. Arkansas has a 25 cents per gallon gas tax rate and a $1.15 cigarette excise tax rate. The State of Arkansas collects $4,842 in state and local tax collections per capita. Arkansas has $6,867 in state and local debt per capita and has an 85 percent funded ratio of public pension plans. Arkansas’s tax system ranks 36th overall on the 2025 State Tax Competitiveness Index.
Each state’s tax code is a multifaceted system with many moving parts, and Arkansas is no exception. The first step towards understanding Arkansas’s tax code is knowing the basics. How does Arkansas collect tax revenue? Click the tabs below to learn more! You can also explore our state tax maps, which are compiled from our annual publication, Facts & Figures 2024: How Does Your State Compare?
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The State Tax Competitiveness Index enables policymakers, taxpayers, and business leaders to gauge how their states’ tax systems compare. While there are many ways to show how much state governments collect in taxes, the Index evaluates how well states structure their tax systems and provides a road map for improvement.
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Facts & Figures serves as a one-stop state tax data resource that compares all 50 states on over 40 measures of tax rates, collections, burdens, and more.
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Tax burdens rose across the country as pandemic-era economic changes caused taxable income, activities, and property values to rise faster than net national product. Tax burdens in 2020, 2021, and 2022 are all higher than in any other year since 1978.
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Individual income taxes are a major source of state government revenue, accounting for more than a third of state tax collections. How do income taxes compare in your state?
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Graduated corporate rates are inequitable—that is, the size of a corporation bears no necessary relation to the income levels of the owners.
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Retail sales taxes are an essential part of most states’ revenue toolkits, responsible for 32 percent of state tax collections and 13 percent of local tax collections (24 percent of combined collections).
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Lt. Governor Griffin’s goal to eliminate the income tax is a commendable one that should be considered with cautious optimism, though with the understanding that even a well-designed process may end up putting more weight on an already uncompetitive sales tax. In the meantime, there is plenty of space for incremental improvements in Arkansas’s income tax that will make the state more competitive.
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