Where Does Your Money Go?
The Commonwealth of Virginia records its budget, receipts, and expenses by using two broad categories: 1) the general fund and 2) non-general funds.
The general fund revenues are mostly direct general taxes paid by citizens and businesses in Virginia such as income and sales tax. Because general fund revenues support a variety of government programs, these are funds that the Governor and the General Assembly have the most discretion to spend.
Non-general funds are receipts set aside for specific purposes. For example, motor vehicle and gasoline taxes are earmarked by law for transportation programs, student tuition and fees must support higher education, and federal grants support specific federal mandated activities.
The graphics below display the major sources of revenues and the main areas of budget for the upcoming fiscal year. There is also a link to display the distribution of your taxes to general fund programs and how those taxes pay for all Commonwealth programs.
Where Does The General Fund Money Come From?
The graphic below displays the major categories of actual general fund revenues from fiscal year 2009. The spending of these funds, as you will see below under "Where does the general fund money go?" is at the discretion of the Governor and the General Assembly. The "Other Taxes" category consists mainly of estate taxes, alcoholic beverage taxes, electric consumption taxes, and the malt beverage taxes. The "Other Revenues" category consists mainly of interest on state money, circuit court clerks fees, court processing fees, and the profits from alcoholic beverage sales. No individual program under Other "Revenues" amounts to more than 1% of the total general fund revenues.
Click Here for General Fund Percentages
Where Do All State Revenues Come From?
The graphic below displays the major categories of all state revenues from fiscal year 2009. About 54% of these revenues are set aside for specific purposes such as transportation, federal grants, etc. The other 46% are at the discretion of the Governor and General Assembly, as shown above under "Where does the general fund money come from?" The "Other Revenues" category here consists of various small revenues, with the largest of those being highway planning and construction, receipts related to welfare activities, motor vehicle sales and use tax, alcoholic beverage sales, and unemployment compensation payroll tax. No individual program under "Other Revenues" amounts to more than 1% of the total revenues.
Click Here for General Fund Percentages
Where Do General Fund Revenues Go?
Here you may enter the amount of individual income tax, sales and use tax, or other direct taxes paid by an entity or individual to the state of Virginia for fiscal year 2009. A graphic will display showing the distribution of where these revenues were dispersed.
Where Do All State Revenues Go?
Here you may enter the amount of taxes, fees, or any other payment made by an entity or individual to the state of Virginia in fiscal year 2009. A graphic will display showing the distribution of where these revenues were dispersed. This breakdown includes expenditures relating to all revenues collected by the state of Virginia, even if earmarked for a specific purpose.
Sources:
Commonwealth Accounting and Reporting System (CARS), and
2007 Virginia Acts of Assembly, Chapter 847
