INTERNATIONAL REPORT ON TAXES

The Taxpayers, a Swedish organisation, has published a report on the level of taxation in the OECD countries. You'll find the report if you follow the link (last year's report is availible in English as well).

If you look at the tax pressure as a percentage of GDP you'll find that OECD average is 37.3% which has to be considered as fairly high. You'll find the lowest taxes in Korea (25.5%), Japan (25.8) and Switzerland (29.8%). "Welfare countries" like Canada and the United Kingdom end up on 33.9% and 35.3% respectively. Sweden is the only country on the list that lands above the 50% mark with their 50.8% figure (just ahead of Denmark). More than half of the GDP is taken out in taxes. A hideous amount.

The highest marginal tax in Sweden is 58.2% in Sweden according to this report, which is highest among the compared countries but vastly lower than it's been in the past. We also have the highest VAT rate in the report (25%) (though the Danes pays equally much tax on consumption).

The only area in which Sweden compares relatively well - unless your a fan of high taxes - is in it's corporate taxation. The 28% tax is pretty average (possibly even close to average). Unfortunatly for employers there are various other problems with running a company in Sweden - among other things the super strong unions.

This report doesn't tell us everything of course, but it does provide some interesting - albeit unsurprising - facts.

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