Winners and Losers

In fiscal year 1992 the federal government sucked $1.06 trillion out of taxpayers and $322 billion out of capital markets. It spit a lot of this money back, but its aim wasn't very good. Some states received more in government wages, grants to local and state governments, procurement money, and benefit payments than they shelled out in taxes. Others got less. Comparing federal taxes per capita to federal spending per capita, the Tax Foundation has ranked each state according to how big a return it got.