Tax Facts

This section will be updated routinely to showcase tax comparison research. The WTA is always looking for contributions, so please feel free to submit your research or research you have found at http://worldtaxpayers.org/members-update/ & the password is: wta.

EUROPE: New Report Analysing the VAT Policy Gap
(3/18/2023)
- The Tax Foundation recently released the VAT Expansion and Labor Tax Cuts report. The value-added tax (VAT) is a major source of revenue for EU countries. For Member States, it represents on average 17.8 percent of their total tax revenue. For the EU, VAT revenue represented roughly 7.5 percent of its total revenue in 2021.
EUROPE: Michael Jaeger Interviewed on EU’s Current Tax Policy
(3/18/2023)
- Michael Jaeger, Taxpayers Association of EuroTaxpaype Secretary General, in an interview for the Sunt Förnuft, the magazine of the Swedish Taxpayers Association, discussed the current efforts of the EU to further expand its tax competence and at the same time massively increase EU spending.
Tax Foundation Released the 2022 Corporate Tax Rates around the World
(12/27/2022)
- The Tax Foundation released the 2022 Corporate Tax Rates around the World. Here are the four main takeaways from this data-driven research and analysis: Data on the decades-long decline: Over the past four decades, corporate tax rates around the world, including in the largest economies, have declined from an average of 40 percent to 23 percent as countries have recognized the impact that high corporate rates have on business investment decisions.
FINLAND: Tax Freedom Day was June 8th
(7/1/2022)
- According to the Taxpayers’ Association of Finland, the total tax burden in Finland is estimated to be 42.7 percent of GDP, including national taxes, municipal and ecclesiastical, consumption taxes, and social security contributions.
Tax Foundation Launches 2019 International Tax Competitiveness Index
(11/13/2019)
- On October 2nd, the Tax Foundation released the 2019 International Tax Competitiveness Index, which compares OECD countries on over 40 variables that measure how well each country's tax system promotes sustainable economic growth and investment.
FRANCE: Tax Freedom Day was July 23rd
(10/10/2019)
- According to the calculations made by Contribuables Associés, the French taxpayers’ association, the ratio between public expenditure (State, local authorities, social security, European Union) and the wealth created in France (GDP) is 55.6% in 2019.
AUSTRIA: Tax Freedom Day was August 5th
(10/10/2019)
- Tax Freedom Day in Austria was August 5th, according to the Austrian Economics Center. Tax Freedom Day was July 1st in 1976. Since then, the tax burden has grown significantly, pushing the date to August 20th in 2001 and August 19th in 2015.
SWEDEN: Tax Freedom Day is July 18th
(7/18/2019)
- July 18th is when the Swedish taxpayers celebrated their Tax Freedom Day in 2018 according to the Swedish Taxpayers Association.
PERU: Tax Freedom Day is May 16th
(5/16/2019)
- According to Asociación de Contribuyentes del Perú, the taxpayers in Peru are working 135 days to pay for the income tax, value-added tax, social security contributions and other local taxes.
OECD: Taxing Wages 2019
(4/29/2019)
- Income tax and social security contributions declined slightly for the average worker across the OECD in 2018, driven by major reforms in a handful of countries, according to Taxing Wages OECD’s report.
UNITED STATES: Tax Freedom Day is April 16th 
(4/16/2019)
- The Tax Foundation recently released its report on Tax Freedom Day. Tax Freedom Day is a significant date for taxpayers and lawmakers because it represents how long Americans as a whole have to work in order to pay the nation’s tax burden. This year, Tax Freedom Day falls on April 16, or 105 days into the year.
Corporate Tax Rates Around the World 2018
(12/5/2018)
- Tax Foundation's latest study compares corporate tax rates around the world.
Businesses are Central to Tax Collection Systems
(6/11/2018)
- Scott Hodge, president of the Tax Foundation acknowledges that "although there is no empirical standard for what constitutes a “fair share” of the tax burden, tax fairness is often used by leading international organizations, such as the European Commission, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) such as the Tax Justice Network, to justify higher taxes on businesses and corporations".
Statutory Tax Rates on Dividends, Interest, and Capital Gains
(4/22/2018)
- The OECD published a new paper on statutory rates on capital income. 
SLOVAKIA: The Price of the State
(4/19/2018)
- The Institute of Economic and Social Studies in Slovakia (INESS) finds that the Price of the State per person is rising every year, this time the number hitting EUR 6326.
Tax Policies in the European Union 2017 Survey
(1/26/2018)
- European Commission published its annual report on the performance of EU Member States' tax systems.
Spain: Regional Tax Competitiveness Index
(11/26/2017)
- In October of 2017, the Spanish Taxpayers Union (UC) launched the first edition of its Regional Tax Competitiveness Index. This report inspired by the Tax Foundation’s State Business Tax Climate Index measures the country’s seventeen regional fiscal systems by analyzing 64 indicators and produces a ranking to show how each of them performs in comparison with the rest.
2017 International Tax Competitiveness Index
(11/1/2017)
- Hampered by high marginal tax rates and complex business tax rules, the United States again ranks towards the bottom of the pack on our 2017 International Tax Competitiveness Index, placing 30 out of 35 OECD countries.
Taxation trends in the European Union 2017
(9/26/2017)
- This report contains a detailed statistical and economic analysis of the tax systems of the 28 Member States of the European Union, plus Iceland and Norway which are members of the European Economic Area. In addition to the analysis of Europe-wide trends, the report includes country chapters covering the 28 EU Member States, Iceland and Norway.
Socialism for the Rich
(7/3/2017)
- Removing corporate welfare would allow for a six percentage point reduction in the company tax rate that would benefit all businesses equally.
Do Temporary Tax Cuts Grow the Economy?
(6/28/2017)
- The Tax Foundation has just released a new report analyzing the impact of a temporary corporate tax cut on economic growth.
New OECD Report: Taxing Wages 2017
(5/22/2017)
- Taxes on labour income for the average worker across the OECD continued to decrease for the third consecutive year during 2016, dropping to 36% of labour costs, according to a new OECD report.
Tax Complexity
(5/22/2017)
- The US-based National Taxpayers Union Foundation (NTUF) completed a tax complexity project concluding “…the total economic value of compliance burden of the Tax Code can be valued at $262.632 billion.”
Statistics from the OECD
(10/10/2016)
- The OECD (the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) has a great deal of statistics and reports available.
The Tax Foundation’s 2016 International Tax Competitiveness Index
(10/8/2016)
- The Tax Foundation has released the third annual International Tax Competitiveness Index. Once again, the United States ranks among the bottom 5 countries with the 5th least competitive tax system in the OECD. Only Greece, Portugal, Italy, and France have less competitive tax codes. On the other end of the spectrum, Estonia takes the number one spot once again, with New Zealand and Latvia having the second and third most competitive tax systems, respectively.
New World Bank Flagship Report: Doing Business 2016
(1/25/2016)
- Read how your country ranks in the report in regards to regulatory quality and efficiency.
Taxation Trends in the European Union
(12/4/2015)
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This report contains a detailed statistical and economic analysis of the tax systems of the Member States of the European Union, plus Iceland and Norway, which are Members of the European Economic Area.

http://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/taxation/gen_info/economic_analysis/tax_structures/index_en.htm

New Tax Research – Global Corporate and Income Tax Rates
(5/1/2015)
- The WTA has compiled research comparing global corporate and individual income tax rates. Hopefully, it will be useful to you and your important work!
102 Years of the US Income Tax – The Figures
(4/23/2015)
- "The American income tax is perhaps the most dramatic example of how government grows at the expense of liberty."- Grover Norquist
Global Income Tax Rate Comparison
(3/19/2015)
- As it's tax season in America, when Americans pay their annual income tax, check out how their rates compare with the world.