The weight of taxation in Spain falls in 2016 and moves away from that of the OECD

The relative weight of taxation in Spain, which had been growing since it hit bottom in 2009 at the beginning of the crisis, decreased last year, which in turn marked a move away from the OECD average, which in turn continued its upward trend in 2016, to a record level.

Paris, Nov 23 (EFE) .- The relative weight of taxation in Spain, which had been growing since it hit bottom in 2009 at the beginning of the crisis, decreased last year, which in turn, it marked a distance below the OECD average, which in turn continued its upward trend in 2016, to a record level.

This is one of the main conclusions of the annual report on tax collection published today by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), according to which Spain went from position 18 in 2015 to 20 in 2016 (out of a total of 35 countries) with regard to taxation in terms of gross domestic product (GDP).

Specifically, taxes represented 33.5% of GDP in the past year. Spain, compared to 34.3% on average in the organization, when the previous year they had accounted for 33.8% (compared to 34%).

Spain had been above the average of the OECD between 2004 and 2007, when it reached a peak of 36.4% (against 33.7%), but with the outbreak of the crisis the situation was reversed and taxes remained at 29.7% in 2009 (compared to 32.3%).

In 2016, Spain was at a level very similar to that of the United Kingdom (33.2%) or Poland (33.6%), clearly lower than that of the (in second position, with 45.3%), Italy (with 42.9%) and Germany (with 37.6%).

The United States (26%) was among the countries Turkey (25.5%), Ireland (23%), Chile (20.4%) and Mexico (17.2%).

Spain (with 42.5% in 2015, the last It has a lower weight in taxes among OECD members, after Germany (30.6%), France (33.3%), Switzerland (35.8%), Japan (36.7%) and Canada (40%). In this respect, they qualify as a country with a "regional" structure, the only one in that category, which differs from the "federals" (Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Germany, Mexico, Switzerland). and the United States) and the "Unitarians" (the rest).

The Spanish autonomous communities account for 14% of tax revenue, a percentage lower than 17%, which represents on average regions or states that make up the eight "federal" OECD countries (up to 39.5% in Canada, 24.5% in Switzerland, 23% in Germany or 19.4% in the United States). they mean 9.9% in Spain (in 1975 only 4%), when they weigh 7.5% in the "federal" countries and 11.8% in the "unitary" countries.

In The peculiarity of Spain is that Social Security captures 33.1% of taxes, compared to 21.1% on average in "federal" countries and 24.4% in "unitary" countries.