NO.090

RELEASE OF OECD’S REVENUE STATISTICS

The OECD Revenue Statistics released today show Australia as the sixth

lowest taxed OECD nation in 2001, with a total tax burden of 30.1 per cent

of GDP. This was 6.8 percentage points lower than the OECD average of

36.9 per cent and represents a decrease of 1.4 percentage

points in Australia’s total taxation level from 2000.

The OECD has 30 members. Those countries with lower tax burdens than

Australia are Mexico, Japan, Korea, the United States and Ireland. Those

countries with higher tax burdens than Australia are Canada, New Zealand,

the United Kingdom and twenty one European countries.

Australia held its place as one of the lowest taxed OECD countries despite

declining tax burdens in many other OECD countries which experienced

recession and slowdown. Tax burdens fell in 15 out of the 30 OECD countries

in 2001, and rose in 9, resulting in an overall fall of 0.2 percentage

points in the average tax burden in OECD countries.

A table from the OECD publication detailing the total taxation level,

as percentage of GDP, for all OECD countries is attached (see Attachment

A).

22 October 2003

CANBERRA

Contact: David Alexander

02 6277 7340

ATTACHMENT A

Total tax revenue as percentage of GDP