The National Priorities Project has released its annual "Where Do Your Tax Dollars Go?" report. It found that in 2007, the federal government spent 42% of income tax dollars on the military, whereas only 4% went to pay for education. Overall, when funding for the Iraq War is factored into the budget, military spending is higher than it has been at any point since World War II.
The median income family in Michigan paid $2,450 in federal income taxes in 2007. Here is how that money was spent:
* Military - $1,034
* Health - $542
* Interest on Non-military Debt - $251
* Anti-Poverty Programs - $212
* Education, Training & Social Services - $107
* Government & Law Enforcement - $95
* Housing & Community Development - $82
* Environment, Energy & Science - $65
* Transportation, Commerce & Agriculture - $37
* International Affairs - $25
The War Resisters League produces a similar publication each year estimating where income tax money goes. Due to a slightly different analysis, the War Resisters League reports that 54% of income tax dollars are spent on the military:
The War Tax Resisters League also reports that the combined military spending by the Department of Defense and the government's nuclear weapons programs is greater than the military expenditures of the next fifteen countries combined. The United States spends more than any other country on its military and accounts for 47% of the world's total military spending.
