The District of Columbia (DC) has a graduated individual income tax, with rates ranging from 4.00 percent to 10.75 percent. The District of Columbia has an 8.25 percent corporate income tax rate, a 6.00 percent state sales tax rate, and an average combined state and local sales tax rate of 6.00 percent. The District of Columbia has a 0.60 percent effective property tax rate on owner-occupied housing value. The District of Columbia has an estate tax. DC’s gas tax is 35.7 cents per gallon, and its cigarette excise tax is $5.07 per pack of 20 cigarettes.
The District of Columbia raises tax revenue primarily through individual income taxes (29.8 percent of total state and local tax revenue), property taxes (29.3 percent), and general sales taxes (18.7 percent). The District of Columbia collects $15,009 in tax collections per capita, carries $32,166 in debt per capita, and has a 118 percent funded ratio of public pension plans. The District of Columbia’s tax system ranks 48th overall on the 2026 State Tax Competitiveness Index.
Each tax code is a multifaceted system with many moving parts, and the District of Columbia is no exception. Use the tabs below to compare DC taxes with other states and to see how the District of Columbia raises tax revenue. You can also browse our tax maps, which are compiled from our annual publication, Facts & Figures 2026: 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.
2 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?
9 min read
Retail sales taxes are an essential part of most states’ revenue toolkits, responsible for nearly a quarter of combined state and local tax collections.
18 min read
Forty-four states levy a corporate income tax, with top rates ranging from a 2 percent flat rate in North Carolina to an 11.5 percent top marginal rate in New Jersey. Four states—Georgia, Nebraska, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania—reduced their corporate income tax rates effective January 1, 2026.
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Property taxes are the primary tool for financing local governments. While no taxpayers in high-tax jurisdictions will be celebrating their yearly payments, property taxes are largely rooted in the benefit principle of taxation: the people paying the property tax bills are most often the ones benefiting from the services.
9 min read
Backfilling forgone local property tax revenue through new state taxes is difficult because it dramatically shifts overall tax burdens, undermines local accountability, and cannot easily adjust for changing population mixes.
20 min read
Wireless consumers continue to be burdened with high taxes, fees, and government surcharges in many states and localities throughout the country.
14 min read
High property taxes levied not only on land but also on buildings and structures can discourage investment in infrastructure, which businesses would have to pay additional tax on.
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Legal sports betting has grown rapidly since the Supreme Court granted states the ability to establish online sports betting markets in Murphy vs. NCAA in 2018.
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California levies the highest tax on gasoline at 70.9 cents per gallon (cpg), followed by Illinois at 66.4 cpg and Washington at 59.0 cpg.
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As the market share of electric vehicles (EVs) on the road grows, the gas tax’s ability to fund road projects and decrease traffic congestion erodes. Both federal and state real tax revenue per vehicle mile traveled has been on a steady decline for decades, creating a fiscal gap for road expenditures even as the demand for road infrastructure improvements has grown.
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Growing cigarette tax levels and differentials have made cigarette smuggling both a national problem and a lucrative criminal enterprise.
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For Congress, work on the One Big Beautiful Bill Act is done. But in state capitols, the work has not yet begun. Many of the tax changes in the federal reconciliation act flow through to state tax codes—automatically in some states, and subject to an update in states’ Internal Revenue Code conformity date in others.
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This past spring, DC taxpayers were sidelined when the Washington Commanders announced that city aid would help fund a new stadium on the site of the vacant RFK Stadium. The $4 billion deal will be offset by a staggering $1.15 billion in public revenue.
However states choose to respond to other tax provisions of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, they should conform to the pro-growth provisions, which represent a marked improvement in the corporate tax code.
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