Where your tax money goes

Now that you’ve paid your taxes, perhaps you’d like to know where your money is going. According to the National Priorities Project, a research group that analyzes and clarifies federal data so that people can understand and influence how their federal tax dollars are spent, 41.1 cents out of every dollar goes to military-related spending. In contrast, just 2.8 cents goes to environment-, energy- and science-related spending. Here’s a breakdown of a typical tax dollar:

Military 29.4¢
Health 21.3¢
Non-military Interest on Debt 11.9¢
Interest on Military Debt 7.9¢
Income Security & Labor 7.2¢
Housing & Community 3.8¢
Veterans’ Benefits 3.8¢
Food 3.6¢
Government 3.1¢
Education 3.0¢
Environment, Energy & Science 2.8¢
International Affairs 1.2¢
Transportation 1.0¢

Source: National Priorities Project (www.nationalpriorities.org)