Gas Taxes by State, 2026
California levies the highest tax on gasoline at 73.6 cents per gallon (cpg), followed by Illinois at 70.4 cpg and Indiana at 63.1 cpg.
10 min readMinnesota ranks uncompetitively on the Index and is held back by its graduated state individual income tax with a top rate of 9.85 percent, among the highest in the country. Its taxpayers are also subject to alternative minimum taxes under both the individual and corporate income tax codes, adding complexity to the code. The state also recently created a new surtax on long-term capital gains income, such that the top marginal rate on long-term capital gains income is now higher than the top rate on ordinary income.
Minnesota also has high sales tax rates, with a 6.875 percent state sales tax rate and an average combined state and local sales tax rate of 8.13 percent. Minnesota’s effective property tax rate on owner-occupied housing value is on the high side, and its split roll system imposes higher taxes on businesses and renters. Minnesota also has a 9.8 percent corporate income tax rate, one of the highest in the country. The state only allows 15 years of net operating loss (NOL) carryforwards, less generous than most states’ rules, which either offer 20-year or unlimited carryforwards. Additionally, Minnesota’s 20 percent first-year expensing allowance is less generous than the federal bonus depreciation allowance under Section 168(k).
Minnesota recently implemented a tax on global intangible low-taxed income (GILTI), which transitioned to a tax on net CFC-tested income (NCTI) under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA). This tax on the international income of the subsidiaries of US-based multinational corporations is highly uncompetitive and has nothing to do with a company’s activities in the state (or even in the US). Minnesota is also in the minority of states to still impose an estate tax on bequeathed property, imposing the tax with a top rate of 16 percent. Among the bright spots in Minnesota’s tax code are its conformity to Section 179 and the fact that the state only partially taxes tangible personal property.
| Category | Rank | Rank Change | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 44 | -2 | 4.44 |
| Corporate Taxes | 43 | 0 | 4.42 |
| Individual Income Taxes | 44 | 0 | 4.31 |
| Sales Taxes | 35 | 1 | 4.34 |
| Property Taxes | 23 | -6 | 5.19 |
| Unemployment Insurance Taxes | 44 | -2 | 4.05 |
California levies the highest tax on gasoline at 73.6 cents per gallon (cpg), followed by Illinois at 70.4 cpg and Indiana at 63.1 cpg.
10 min read
Privacy concerns are a primary driver of opposition to vehicle miles traveled (VMT) tax systems, but VMT taxes do not need to invade drivers’ privacy to efficiently fund the roads.
6 min read
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.
6 min read