Los Angeles Residents: Find Out Where Your Tax Money Goes

Inevitable as death, tax day has come again, albeit three days late.

Compounding the pain of tax day for many is the commonly held belief that their tax dollars aren't well spent by the federal government. 

This year, in an attempt to show taxpayers where their hard earned money is going, the White House is providing on their website a taxpayer receipt program. With the tool, users can see dollar and percentage breakdowns of how their annual tax bill was spent, based on their annual income. 

Users can also enter specific data from their tax return to get a more precise breakdown.

For taxpayers of every income, the percentage spent on the income tax categories will be the same, but it should be noted that the amount spent on Social Security and Medicare versus the amount spent on income taxes can vary greatly for taxpayers depending on their income level.

According the most recent available census data, the median household in Los Angeles earned $48,570 per year. That means, half of Los Angeles' residents earned more than that amount and the other half earned less. Though neighborhood specific income data is not available through the most recent census, data from the year 200o indicates that Highland Park residents earn about the same as the city median, and Mount Washington residents earn about $2,000 more per year.

The example below provides a breakdown of how the tax dollars of a single child family, earning $50,000 a year, would be spent.

According the receipt, this household would pay a total of $4,085, of which $3,100 would go to Social Security taxes, $725 would go to Medicare taxes, and $260 would go to income tax.

Here's a breakdown of how those $260 in income taxes would be distributed.

On the White House page, some of the above categories are broken down into greater detail, allowing you to view subcategories.