ANDREW MALCOLM: Holy Moly! Look What You Pay In State And Local Taxes.

I’m afraid to look:

According to the Census Bureau, last year alone state and local governments collected a record $573 billion just in property taxes. That’s about $1,759 for each one of the estimated 326 million Americans.

Add to that another record — $386.2 billion — in sales and gross receipts taxes.

And another $405 billion in income taxes.

That’s almost $1.4 TRILLION. Quite a haul for governments. And yet, as the Wall Street Journal reports (subscription), state and local governments are hiking taxes and fees even more, claiming budget crunches.

Now go look at the condition of your local infrastructure or the test scores at your local high school, and ask what you’re getting for all that money.

As I keep saying: We have much more government than we need, and far less than we pay for.