EMBARGOED UNTIL: 10 A.M. EDT, MAY 8, 1997 (THURSDAY) Public Information Office CB97-78 301-457-3030/301-457-3670 (fax) 301-457-4067 (TDD) e-mail:pio@census.gov David Kellerman 301-457-1502 Sales Taxes Represented 33 Percent of State Government Taxes in 1996, Census Bureau Reports In 1996, the nation's state governments collected $418.6 billion in tax revenues, $139.3 billion of which was generated from general sales taxes, according to a new 50-state tabulation released today on the Internet by the Commerce Department's Census Bureau. The tabulations, from the "1996 Annual Survey of State Government Tax Collections," also provide total tax information for all states. Major categories of state taxes include: individual income taxes, selective sales taxes (such as those on tobacco or liquor products), severance taxes and license taxes. Tax collections from other sources include individual income tax collections which generated $134.3 billion; gasoline sales, $26 billion; utilities, $8.6 billion; tobacco sales, $7.3 billion; and motor vehicle licenses, $12.6 billion. The Internet address is http://www.census.gov/govs/www/statetax.html and click on State Tax Collections by State, or call the Public Information Office on 301-457-3030 for a paper copy.-X-The Census Bureau--pre-eminent collector and provider of timely, relevant, and quality data about the people and economy of the United States. In over 100 surveys annually and 20 censuses a decade, evolving from the first census in 1790, the Census Bureau provides official information about America's people, businesses, industries and institutions.
