Facts & Figures 2024: How Does Your State Compare?
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.
2 min readHow does North Carolina’s tax code compare? North Carolina has a flat 4.50 percent individual income tax rate. North Carolina has a 2.5 percent corporate income tax rate. North Carolina also has a 4.75 percent state sales tax rate and an average combined state and local sales tax rate of 7.00 percent. North Carolina has a 0.63 percent effective property tax rate on owner-occupied housing value.
North Carolina does not have an estate tax or inheritance tax. North Carolina has a 40.65 cents per gallon gas tax rate and a $0.45 cigarette excise tax rate. The State of North Carolina collects $4,859 in state and local tax collections per capita. North Carolina has $4,431 in state and local debt per capita and has an 89 percent funded ratio of public pension plans. Overall, North Carolina’s tax system ranks 9th on our 2024 State Business Tax Climate Index.
Each state’s tax code is a multifaceted system with many moving parts, and North Carolina is no exception. The first step towards understanding North Carolina’s tax code is knowing the basics. How does North Carolina 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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SubscribeFacts & 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.
2 min readIn recognition of the fact that there are better and worse ways to raise revenue, our Index focuses on how state tax revenue is raised, not how much. The rankings, therefore, reflect how well states structure their tax systems.
111 min readTax 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 readIndividual 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?
8 min readGraduated corporate rates are inequitable—that is, the size of a corporation bears no necessary relation to the income levels of the owners.
7 min readRetail 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).
9 min readAny move to repeal the cap or enhance the deduction would disproportionately benefit higher earners, making the tax code more regressive.
5 min readProperty taxes are the primary tool for financing local governments and generate a significant share of state and local revenues.
6 min readIf the policy goal of taxing cigarettes is to encourage cessation, vapor taxation must be considered a part of that policy design.
3 min readAs more and more states move away from throwback or throwout rules, those states that still impose these rules are becoming less attractive for businesses, which are incentivized to relocate their sales activities to non-throwback states.
6 min readCalifornia pumps out the highest state gas tax rate of 77.9 cents per gallon (cpg), followed by Illinois (66.5 cpg) and Pennsylvania (62.2 cpg).
2 min readHowever well-intended they may be, sales tax holidays remain the same as they always have been—ineffective and inefficient.
4 min readCompare the latest 2023 sales tax rates as of July 1st. Sales tax rate differentials can induce consumers to shop across borders or buy products online.
8 min readTaxes are the single most expensive ingredient in beer, costing more than the labor and raw materials combined.
3 min readAs fiscal year 2023 draws to a close, North Carolina’s House and Senate have each passed their own versions of the biennial budget for fiscal years 2024-25. While legislative leaders have generally agreed to overall spending levels, negotiations remain ongoing to resolve different approaches to tax policy.
7 min readOf all alcoholic beverages subject to taxation, stiff drinks—and all distilled spirits—face the stiffest tax rates. Like many excise taxes, the treatment of distilled spirits varies widely across the states.
4 min read