These are averages. Many state taxes, such as payroll tax and stamp duty, are paid by businesses or home buyers, but they flow through to everyone in prices, wages and rents.
Key findings
1. State taxes: about $5,465 per person
- Fact: The 2026-27 Budget expects $16,920 million in taxation revenue. WA's population was 3,096,222 at 31 March 2026. That is about $5,465 per person, or $21,860 for a family of four.
| Tax | 2026-27 ($m) | Per person | Family of four |
|---|---|---|---|
| Payroll tax | 6,546 | $2,114 | $8,457 |
| Transfer (stamp) duty | 3,637 | $1,175 | $4,699 |
| Motor vehicle taxes | 2,440 | $788 | $3,152 |
| Land tax | 1,295 | $418 | $1,673 |
| Insurance duty and other | 1,180 | $381 | $1,524 |
| Emergency Services Levy | 453 | $146 | $585 |
| Gambling taxes | 422 | $136 | $545 |
| Other taxes | 947 | $306 | $1,223 |
| Total taxation | 16,920 | $5,465 | $21,860 |
Sources: 2026-27 Budget Paper 3, Appendix 2, Table 2.1; ABS, National, state and territory population. Per-person figures calculated by us.
2. Your household bills on top
- Fact: Treasury's own "representative household" (two adults and two children) pays $6,450 in 2026-27 for electricity, water, car licence and insurance, driver's licence, the Emergency Services Levy, insurance duty and public transport. Some of this (car licence, the levy and insurance duty) is already counted in the tax table.
Source: 2026-27 Budget Paper 3, Appendix 8
3. Your share of the GST comes back short
- Fact: WA receives $9,342 million in GST grants in 2026-27, about $3,017 per person. Treasury says that over the five years to 2029-30 WA will get $11.7 billion less than its population share. Counting all federal taxes and spending, Treasury estimates WA's net contribution to the rest of Australia at $36 billion in 2024-25, or $12,016 per person.
Sources: 2026-27 Budget Paper 3, revenue chapter and Appendix 11
4. Where each $100 of State spending goes
- Fact: The State plans to spend $52,539 million in 2026-27, about $16,970 per person, paid for by taxes, royalties, Commonwealth grants and charges.
| Area | Per $100 | Per family of four* |
|---|---|---|
| Health | $32.00 | $6,993 |
| Education | $18.80 | $4,113 |
| Public order and safety (police, courts, prisons, fire) | $11.00 | $2,399 |
| Transport | $9.30 | $2,036 |
| Social protection | $8.50 | $1,861 |
| Economic affairs (including industry support) | $5.70 | $1,247 |
| Housing and community amenities | $5.20 | $1,137 |
| General public services (including interest) | $5.00 | $1,085 |
| Recreation, culture and religion | $2.60 | $572 |
| Environmental protection | $1.40 | $311 |
| Provisions not yet allocated | $0.50 | $106 |
*Shares of a family of four's $21,860 in state taxes, in the same proportions as total spending.
Source: 2026-27 Budget Paper 3, Appendix 1, Note 6
Our read: about $1,247 of a family's state taxes goes to "economic affairs", which includes the industry support described on our page Who pays when government picks winners.
What could change
- Send every household a yearly tax receipt like this one, with their own figures.
- Index tax thresholds so families are not pushed into paying more by inflation alone.