Where do our tax dollars actually go?

from Vermont Edition · host Vermont Public

When we file our taxes, we all have a guess as to where our money’s going. Education, infrastructure, the military, foreign aid. But for most of us, it’s just that – a guess.We break down where exactly our tax dollars go, both at the state and federal level. Vermont’s new tax commissioner Bill Shouldice explains where the state’s pot of tax dollars comes from, and where it gets allocated He also breaks down how his office estimates property taxes every year.Then, Chuck Marr helps us understand how it works. He’s steeped in the minutiae of federal tax policy at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. He tells us about the biggest programs our tax dollars fund, like Medicare and Medicaid, and how that could be changing with this new Administration and Congress.

What this episode covers

When we file our taxes, we all have a guess as to where our money’s going. Education, infrastructure, the military, foreign aid. But for most of us, it’s just that – a guess. We break down where exactly our tax dollars go, both at the state and federal level. Vermont’s new tax commissioner Bill Shouldice explains where the state’s pot of tax dollars comes from, and where it gets allocated He also breaks down how his office estimates property taxes every year. Then, Chuck Marr helps us understand how it works. He’s steeped in the minutiae of federal tax policy at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. He tells us about the biggest programs our tax dollars fund, like Medicare and Medicaid, and how that could be changing with this new Administration and Congress.