Newsom Told Texans They Pay More Taxes Than Californians. The Data Says He Is Wrong.
California collects double per person. 13.3% income tax vs zero. Gas tax triple Texas. The scoreboard is humiliating. #California #Texas #Florida
Newsom Told Texans They Pay More Than Californians. The Numbers Say Otherwise.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom went to SXSW in Austin and tried a bold little magic trick. He looked Texans in the eye and declared that Texas and Florida are the "REAL high-tax states." He also said, "Your middle class pays more taxes in Texas than our middle class in California."
According to the numbers compiled by Just Facts President James Agresti, it is backwards.
The Big Number Problem
California collects about $10,000 per year in taxes per person
Texas collects about $5,000 per person
Florida collects about $5,000 per person
California taxes about 14% of its economy vs 9% for TX and FL
The Tax Breakdown
Income tax: CA 13.3%. TX: 0%. FL: 0%.
Property taxes: CA 2.8%, TX 3.6%, FL 2.6% (TX higher here)
Sales tax: CA 7.2%, TX 6.2%, FL 6.0%
Gas tax: CA 70.9 cents/gallon, TX 20 cents, FL 40.3 cents. CA more than TRIPLE Texas.
WalletHub's 2025 rankings place California as the 4th highest tax burden overall. Agresti says Newsom relies on ITEP data which is "fatally flawed" because "it does not account for all forms of income or all taxes."
Families do not pay taxes in slices. You pay the total burden, not the press release version. And on that score, California is in no position to lecture Texas or Florida.
That is not a sophisticated rebuttal. That is a scoreboard. And the scoreboard is humiliating.
Further Reading
• Fox News: Newsom's Tax Claims Picked Apart by Expert
• Just Facts: California vs Texas and Florida Tax Analysis