ORLANDO, Fla. – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis took to social media on Monday to target a recent claim made by California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
In a clip shared to X, Newsom claimed that Florida and Texas are the “REAL high-tax states.”
“Your middle class pays more taxes than our middle class in California,” Newsom states. “It’s a great mythology. It’s just the richest of the rich come here because they can avoid paying a damn penny.”
Fox News refuses to report the truth:
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) March 16, 2026
Texas and Florida are the REAL high-tax states. pic.twitter.com/1PtCN5Uvj8
Afterward, DeSantis shared a response to Newsom’s post, which points to a WalletHub study that examines each state based on its tax burden.
According to that study, California has the fourth-highest tax burden in the nation, while Texas and Florida rank at No. 40 and No. 45, respectively.
[BELOW: DeSantis weighs in on latest Florida tax ranking]
“There are lies, damned lies and statistics,” DeSantis wrote. “Then there is whatever you’d call the claim that California has lower taxes than Florida.”
There are lies, damned lies and statistics.
— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) March 16, 2026
Then there is whatever you’d call the claim that California has lower taxes than Florida.
Even people who like California governance acknowledge CA is a very high tax state: highest sales, income and gas taxes in the nation. https://t.co/C1P7Awvz7L
Per the study, California does indeed have a lower property tax burden than Texas, and its sales/excise tax burden is lower than both Texas and Florida.
However, neither Texas nor Florida has an individual income tax, which makes the two states’ overall tax burden fall far below that of California.
[BELOW: Waffle House bans Florida governor candidate from all restaurants in the state]
Overall, though, Hawaii suffered the highest total tax burden at nearly 14%.
“Hawaii has the highest total tax burden, with residents paying out nearly 14% of their income to state and local governments. That includes 4.2% on income taxes, 2.6% on property taxes, and 7.2% in sales and excise taxes.
Alaska has the lowest total tax burden, as its residents pay no income tax. They also pay out only 3.5% of their income in property taxes and 1.5% in sales and excise taxes, for a total of 4.9%."
WalletHub, "Tax Burden by State (2025)"
Meanwhile, the rest of the WalletHub ranking is as follows:
| Rank | State | Total Tax Burden | Property Tax Burden | Individual Income Tax Burden | Total Sales/Excise Tax Burden |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hawaii | 13.92% | 2.57% | 4.18% | 7.17% |
| 2 | New York | 13.56% | 4.28% | 5.76% | 3.52% |
| 3 | Vermont | 11.53% | 5.00% | 3.08% | 3.45% |
| 4 | California | 11.00% | 2.78% | 4.87% | 3.35% |
| 5 | Maine | 10.64% | 4.14% | 3.02% | 3.48% |
| 6 | New Jersey | 10.30% | 4.67% | 2.87% | 2.76% |
| 7 | Illinois | 10.22% | 3.81% | 2.63% | 3.78% |
| 8 | Rhode Island | 10.08% | 3.93% | 2.75% | 3.40% |
| 9 | Maryland | 10.04% | 2.63% | 4.47% | 2.94% |
| 10 | Connecticut | 9.90% | 3.96% | 3.22% | 2.72% |
| 11 | Minnesota | 9.72% | 2.74% | 3.79% | 3.19% |
| 12 | New Mexico | 9.62% | 2.08% | 1.94% | 5.60% |
| 13 | Massachusetts | 9.57% | 3.48% | 4.05% | 2.04% |
| 14 | Utah | 9.46% | 2.22% | 3.31% | 3.93% |
| 15 | Ohio | 9.36% | 2.77% | 2.59% | 4.00% |
| 16 | Kansas | 9.33% | 2.89% | 2.64% | 3.80% |
| 17 | Iowa | 9.23% | 3.25% | 2.58% | 3.40% |
| 18 | Indiana | 9.09% | 2.13% | 3.21% | 3.75% |
| 19 | Mississippi | 9.06% | 2.60% | 1.83% | 4.63% |
| 20 | Oregon | 9.06% | 2.95% | 4.39% | 1.72% |
| 21 | Louisiana | 8.94% | 1.86% | 1.75% | 5.33% |
| 22 | Kentucky | 8.93% | 1.94% | 3.37% | 3.62% |
| 23 | Virginia | 8.86% | 2.89% | 3.26% | 2.71% |
| 24 | West Virginia | 8.85% | 2.21% | 2.81% | 3.83% |
| 25 | Nebraska | 8.78% | 3.39% | 2.45% | 2.94% |
| 26 | Colorado | 8.73% | 2.77% | 2.61% | 3.35% |
| 27 | Nevada | 8.62% | 2.15% | 0.00% | 6.47% |
| 28 | Washington | 8.61% | 2.64% | 0.00% | 5.97% |
| 29 | Arkansas | 8.61% | 1.56% | 2.21% | 4.84% |
| 30 | Pennsylvania | 8.58% | 2.63% | 2.74% | 3.21% |
| 31 | Georgia | 8.47% | 2.55% | 2.92% | 3.00% |
| 32 | Wisconsin | 8.31% | 2.96% | 2.46% | 2.89% |
| 33 | Michigan | 8.25% | 2.94% | 2.33% | 2.98% |
| 34 | Arizona | 8.22% | 2.14% | 1.73% | 4.35% |
| 35 | North Carolina | 8.18% | 1.98% | 2.80% | 3.40% |
| 36 | South Carolina | 8.15% | 2.63% | 2.38% | 3.14% |
| 37 | Alabama | 7.99% | 1.35% | 2.37% | 4.27% |
| 38 | Montana | 7.87% | 3.12% | 3.45% | 1.30% |
| 39 | Missouri | 7.83% | 2.31% | 2.59% | 2.93% |
| 40 | Texas | 7.77% | 3.55% | 0.00% | 4.22% |
| 41 | Idaho | 7.54% | 1.88% | 2.34% | 3.32% |
| 42 | Oklahoma | 7.01% | 1.62% | 1.78% | 3.61% |
| 43 | North Dakota | 6.61% | 2.28% | 0.85% | 3.48% |
| 44 | Delaware | 6.52% | 1.81% | 3.69% | 1.02% |
| 45 | Florida | 6.49% | 2.59% | 0.00% | 3.90% |
| 46 | South Dakota | 6.46% | 2.41% | 0.00% | 4.74% |
| 47 | Tennessee | 6.38% | 1.64% | 0.00% | 4.74% |
| 48 | New Hampshire | 5.94% | 4.87% | 0.15% | 0.92% |
| 49 | Wyoming | 5.79% | 2.81% | 0.00% | 2.98% |
| 50 | Alaska | 4.93% | 3.46% | 0.00% | 1.47% |