Tax burden in EU countries

Abstract

The degree of tax burden in the economy is a significant issue for every country. The state and fiscal authorities should provide a stimulating but sustainable tax environment that will cause positive implications for economic growth and development. The aim of this paper is to determine the degree of tax burden from the aspect of direct taxes and indirect taxes, as well as the correlation level with the annual rate of gross domestic product. The subject of this paper is the analysis of the tax burden in EU countries for the period 2006-2018. The results of the analysis indicate that average share of total taxes is 38.18% of gross domestic product, where the average share of direct taxes is 12.77% and the average share of indirect taxes is 13.42% of gross domestic product. Also, the results of correlation matrix show a statistically significant and negative correlation between tax burden and economic growth measured by the annual growth rate of gross domestic product.