Oklahomans pay $992 per person less in taxes than the national average. By most measures, Oklahoma's taxes are lower than most Americans'. For example, Oklahoma state and local taxes were $3,379 per person in 2008, compared to the national average of $4,371. This gap grew by $140 per person from 2006 to 2008. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities' analysis of U.S. Census data, Oklahomans' taxes were 40th in the nation per person and 40th as a share of personal income.

Most Oklahoma taxes are lower than other states'. This figure shows that Oklahoma collects less per person in state and local taxes than the national average.

• Individual income taxes were $236 per person less than the national average in 2008 and corporate income taxes are $91 per person less than average.
• Even though we rely more on the sales tax than many states, Oklahoma general sales taxes are $9 per person less than the national average.
• Property taxes are dramatically lower in Oklahoma than elsewhere. Our average tax collected of $580 per person in 2008 was less than half the national average of $1,346.
• Oklahoma selective sales taxes, which apply to purchase of specific items like vehicles and cigarettes, were $165 per person lower than the national average in 2008.
• "Other taxes" is the only category in which Oklahoma taxes are above average on a per-person basis (by $276). This is due to the high revenue from severance or gross production taxes on oil and gas. These taxes ultimately are paid by those who use the petroleum products, mainly non-Oklahomans.

In most taxes, we rank in the middle or bottom of the states, when measuring taxes collected per person.The graph shows that Oklahoma ranks among the bottom half of states in taxes per person for most tax sources.

• Property taxes and selective sales taxes (on fuel, tires, tobacco, and alcohol, among other items) are among the lowest in the nation.
• Corporate and personal income taxes rank in the bottom half of states.
• The general sales tax is near the middle among all states.
  

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