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.
115 min read
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.
24 min read
Forty-four states levy a corporate income tax, with top rates ranging from a 2.25 percent flat rate in North Carolina to a 11.5 percent top marginal rate in New Jersey.
7 min read
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?
12 min read
Retail sales taxes are an essential part of most states’ revenue toolkits, responsible for 24 percent of combined state and local tax collections.
15 min read
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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Twenty-six states and the District of Columbia had notable tax changes take effect on January 1, 2021. Because most states’ legislative sessions were cut short in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, fewer tax changes were adopted in 2020 than in a typical year.
24 min read
The coronavirus relief package represents the second-largest recovery legislation, behind only the CARES Act, for a combined total of more than $3 trillion in support.
8 min read
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.
4 min read
On Monday, members of the bipartisan Gang of Eight negotiating an end-of-year pandemic relief package announced that they had settled on language and had divided the package into two bills: a pandemic aid package and a $160 billion state and local support package.
6 min read
A typical American household with four phones on a “family share” wireless plan can expect to pay about $270 per year (or 22 percent of their cell phone bill) in taxes, fees, and surcharges.
36 min read
President Joe Biden’s tax plan would yield combined top marginal state and local rates in excess of 60 percent in three states: California, Hawaii, and New Jersey (also New York City).
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Here are the state tax ballot measures to watch on Election Day 2020. Explore the most notable 2020 state tax ballot measures in 15 states.
4 min read
State tax revenue collections were down 5.5 percent in FY 2020, driven by a dismal final quarter (April through June) as states began to feel the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. While these early losses are certainly not desirable, they are manageable and far better than many feared.
16 min read
Virginia enacted a biennial budget, which includes a new excise tax on “skill games.” Meanwhile, Arizona and Connecticut announced plans to convene in special sessions later this year while Oklahoma gets the green light to use rainy day fund money to close budget gaps.
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