Auditor Controller Eric Woolery recently authored an Op Ed in the Orange County Register on this year's Tax Freedom Day. In case you missed it, we've excerpted some of it below: 

Property Tax Day was April 10 and Income Tax Day was April 18.  While both have already come and gone, May 1 marks a lesser-known — and likely more appreciated holiday for Californians— “Tax Freedom Day.”

Tax Freedom Day is the day when Americans have earned enough money to pay our total tax bill for the year. Tax Freedom Day takes all federal, state, and local taxes and divides them by the nation’s income. The Tax Foundation calculates that in 2017, Americans will pay $3.5 trillion in federal taxes and $1.6 trillion in state and local taxes.  This adds up to a total tax burden of $5.1 trillion, or 31 percent of U.S. income. This year, National Tax Freedom Day falls on April 23, which is 113 days into 2017.  For Californians, however, May 1 is Tax Freedom Day, later than all but 4 of the 50 states in the union.

The Tax Foundation data shows that Americans spend a whopping 46 days just to pay personal income taxes.  Payroll taxes add another 26 days, sales taxes 15 more days, property taxes take up another 10 days, corporate income taxes tack on another 10 days, and countless other taxes take up the last 6 days.  Americans paid more in taxes last year than on food, clothing, and housing – combined.  In 1900, Tax Freedom Day was on January 22 because Americans spent only 5.9% of their income on taxes.