phillyflyers
- Joined
- Aug 8, 2024
- Messages
- 7,962
Again, this is misleading.
I don't know how I can be any clearer than that.
You see a leftist liberal state and automatically think they contribute the most.
1. The largest net contributors such as New York, California, and New Jersey are also among the most populous and wealthy states, where incomes are higher and thus a greater share of federal taxes is paid. Their net contribution is much more about economic structure and demographics, not political ideology like you so obviously think.
2. The federal tax system is intentionally progressive: it collects more from higher income earners. States with more high-income residents (which tend to lean liberal, but not always) will send more in federal taxes by design.
3. Federal spending is driven by need and national priorities—not by which states pay more. For example, poorer or less populous states, whether red or blue, often receive more in per capita federal funding because of higher rates of poverty, military bases, or federal land.
4. Some red states are net contributors, and some blue states are net beneficiaries. For example, New Mexico and West Virginia have high federal dependency despite left-of-center voting histories, while Nebraska and New Hampshire (generally conservative) are net contributors.
5. Most states (over 40) receive more than they contribute due to persistent federal budget deficits; so, this “net contribution” is a moving target and not a fixed relationship tied to political affiliation.
Net contribution to the federal government by state reflects economic and demographic factors, not simply political leanings. Using these numbers to claim that “liberal states subsidize conservative states” oversimplifies the issue and does not reflect how or why federal tax and spending patterns exist.
