Delaware
Delaware has a constitutional tax and expenditure limit, covered in Article 8 Sections 6 and 11 in the Delaware State Constitution. In Section 6, enacted by the legislature in 1980, requires a 3/5 supermajority vote in the legislature to raise taxes, with an exception allowing a simple majority vote to raise taxes – but only if debt service is greater than total revenue. Section 11, also enacted in 1980 by the legislature, limits general fund appropriations to 98% of estimated available revenue but exempts debt service and budget reserves from this rule.
| Year | Inflation-adjusted Actual Spending |
|---|---|
| 1992 | 4,185,630,000 |
| 1993 | 4,166,940,000 |
| 1994 | 4,467,050,000 |
| 1995 | 4,803,010,000 |
| 1996 | 5,243,210,000 |
| 1997 | 5,551,120,000 |
| 1998 | 5,877,280,000 |
| 1999 | 6,228,830,000 |
| 2000 | 6,398,700,000 |
| 2001 | 6,724,760,000 |
| 2002 | 6,936,480,000 |
| 2003 | 5,066,550,000 |
| 2004 | 4,968,990,000 |
| 2005 | 5,442,360,000 |
| 2006 | 8,366,080,000 |
| 2007 | 8,430,000,000 |
| 2008 | 9,009,600,000 |
| 2009 | 9,056,850,000 |
| 2010 | 8,464,470,000 |
| 2011 | 7,547,450,000 |
| 2012 | 8,096,450,000 |
| 2013 | 8,190,690,000 |
| 2014 | 8,398,450,000 |
| 2015 | 8,399,540,000 |
| 2016 | 8,731,800,000 |
| 2017 | 9,014,240,000 |
| 2018 | 8,605,340,000 |
| 2019 | 9,011,620,000 |
| 2020 | 9,181,360,000 |
