Washington does not have an individual income tax on wages or salaries, but does impose a capital gains excise tax with a 7 percent rate on long-term capital gains above approximately $262,000 and a 9.9 percent rate on gains above $1 million. (Lawmakers recently enacted a 9.9 percent tax on household income above $1 million, which goes into effect in 2028.) Washington does not have a traditional corporate income tax but does impose a gross receipts tax (Business and Occupation Tax). Washington has a 6.50 percent state sales tax rate and an average combined state and local sales tax rate of 9.51 percent. Washington has a 0.75 percent effective property tax rate on owner-occupied housing value. Washington has an estate tax. Washington’s gas tax is 59.04 cents per gallon, and its cigarette excise tax is $3.025 per pack of 20 cigarettes.
Washington raises tax revenue primarily through general sales taxes (37.6 percent of total state and local tax revenue), other taxes (35.0 percent), and property taxes (26.0 percent). Washington collects $7,745 in state and local tax collections per capita, carries $10,997 in state and local debt per capita, and has a 103 percent funded ratio of public pension plans. Washington’s tax system ranks 45th overall on the 2026 State Tax Competitiveness Index.
Each state’s tax code is a multifaceted system with many moving parts, and Washington is no exception. Use the tabs below to compare Washington taxes with other states and to see how Washington 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.
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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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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.
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Any move to repeal the cap or enhance the deduction would disproportionately benefit higher earners, making the tax code more regressive.
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Property taxes are the primary tool for financing local governments and generate a significant share of state and local revenues.
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If the policy goal of taxing cigarettes is to encourage cessation, vapor taxation must be considered a part of that policy design.
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As 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.
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California 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).
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However well-intended they may be, sales tax holidays remain the same as they always have been—ineffective and inefficient.
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Compare 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.
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At least 32 notable tax policy changes recently took effect across 18 states, including alterations to income taxes, payroll taxes, sales and use taxes, property taxes, and excise taxes. See if your state tax code changed.
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Taxes are the single most expensive ingredient in beer, costing more than the labor and raw materials combined.
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Of 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.
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