As tax day approaches (remember, you have until the end of the day Tuesday to file taxes digitally, and if you’re using the U.S. Postal Service, make sure you have taxes there during business hours for the postmark), Mountain State residents might find themselves wondering, “What does all that money I send to Charleston get me, anyway?”

All over the country, the question is the same, and WalletHub put together the “States with the Best and Worst Taxpayer ROI (2025)” to give some answers.

First, it should be noted WalletHub says New Hampshire gives its taxpayers the best return on investment, and New Mexico the worst.

It turns out West Virginia is somewhat middle of the road with an overall ranking of 33rd — it is 25th for taxes paid and 36th for overall government services.

But breaking down the services category further, the Mountain state was 46th for education, 50th for health, 23rd for safety, 38th for economy, and a perhaps surprising ninth for infrastructure and pollution.

West Virginia ranks 48th for roads and bridges (that metric count was only part of the multi-faceted calculation of the overall infrastructure and pollution rank).

And, it’s no surprise we are 47th for poverty (ahead of New Mexico, Louisiana and Mississippi).

For those wondering whether there is a magic solution employed by some of the better performing states, WalletHub is more cautious:

“There can be a tradeoff between how much tax you pay and what you receive in return from the government. Several of the states with the best taxpayer ROI don’t charge any income tax, and residents pay less at tax time while receiving good-quality (though not necessarily the best) government services,” said analyst Chip Lupo.

“At the same time, while people pay more in states that do charge income tax, they may benefit from better infrastructure, education, safety or public health as a result.”

The trick is figuring out what works for each state, and then getting it done. West Virginians are tired of sending money to Charleston, only to be ranked somewhere between dead last and mediocre time and time again.

Lawmakers are supposed to be good stewards of taxpayer dollars, and they’re supposed to serve us — not their friends and their own agendas.

It’s time we had something to show, some proof that our tax money is being put to good use, and for our benefit.