BY MARINA VILLENEUVE
New York once again is paying much more in federal taxes than it receives in federal spending, according to a report released Tuesday.
New York paid $26.6 billion more in federal taxes in the fiscal year ending in 2018 than in got back in federal funds, according to the report Tuesday. That works out to 90 cents in federal funds for every tax dollar, compared with a national average of $1.21.
New York has seen a gap dating back to 2013, when it totaled $19.9 billion. Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli said the balance jumped in 2018 when New Yorkers paid $4 billion more in taxes as federal spending increased by $1.5 billion.
“We’re pretty close to the middle of the pack in terms of total spending,” he said. “When you really at the issue, it’s how we contributed an outside proportion of revenue.”
DiNapoli said the ongoing trend makes it critical that the upcoming 2020 census is accurate and maximizes the state’s population count.
“It’s an important reminder for everyone in New York, that New York contributes a great deal to Washington and the federal government and we should certainly be sure that we can can fight anyway we can to maximize the return we have,” he said.
New York is one of just seven states that sends more to the federal government than it receives, according to the comptroller’s report. New York saw a per capita deficit of $1,363, which is based on the gap between federal taxes and funding per each New Yorker. Massachusetts had a $1,419 per capita deficit while New Jersey’s ranked worst in the nation at $2,792.
Overall, $254 billion, or 8%, of the nation’s $3.2 trillion in federal tax receipts in 2018 came from New York, which received $227 billion, or 6%, of federal spending.
New York is also home to 6% of the nation’s population and receives a relatively high level of federal spending for Medicaid and mass transit. Meanwhile, New York taxes are significantly higher than the national per capita, according to DiNapoli’s report, which said that’s largely because of individual income taxes.
