America's tax burden is the lightest

[Bob]

Americans' tax burden is lightest in developed world - USATODAY.com Updated 11/27/2009 1:51 AM |
COMPARING TAX BURDENS
How the USA and some other nations compare in total tax revenue as a percentage of GDP:
2007 2008*
Denmark 48.7% 48.3%
Sweden 48.3% 47.1%
Belgium 43.9% 44.3%
France 43.5% 43.1%
Italy 43.5% 43.2%
Finland 43.0% 42.8%
Austria 42.3% 42.9%
Germany 36.2% 36.4%
United Kingdom 36.1% 35.7%
Canada 33.3% 32.2%
United States 28.3% 26.9%
* = provisional Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development




By David J. Lynch, USA TODAY
You'd never know it from all the cable news chatter, but Americans bear the lightest tax burden in the developed world.

Total U.S. tax revenues in 2008 equaled 26.9% of gross domestic product, according to provisional figures released Tuesday by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. That figure ? which includes local, state and federal taxes, including Social Security ? was lower than the 1990 ratio and far below levels across Europe. In Denmark, the total tax take exceeds 48% of the economy. In France, it tops 43%; Germany, 36%.

MORE POLITICAL NEWS: Washington front page

To those on the right, who see Uncle Sam's comparatively light touch as a key to economic growth, the new numbers show what's at stake as the Obama White House battles the recession with generous doses of public funds. To others, the tax data from the 30-nation organization suggest the U.S. has room to raise taxes to pay for its unprecedented crisis-related borrowing.....let's hear comments from the teabaggers after they cash their government checks

 

[beachFool]

I would argue that Americans are merely shifting the tax burden down the road.

 

[Lynnie]

Americans' tax burden is lightest in developed world - USATODAY.com Updated 11/27/2009 1:51 AM |
COMPARING TAX BURDENS
How the USA and some other nations compare in total tax revenue as a percentage of GDP:
2007 2008*
Denmark 48.7% 48.3%
Sweden 48.3% 47.1%
Belgium 43.9% 44.3%
France 43.5% 43.1%
Italy 43.5% 43.2%
Finland 43.0% 42.8%
Austria 42.3% 42.9%
Germany 36.2% 36.4%
United Kingdom 36.1% 35.7%
Canada 33.3% 32.2%
United States 28.3% 26.9%
* = provisional Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development




By David J. Lynch, USA TODAY
You'd never know it from all the cable news chatter, but Americans bear the lightest tax burden in the developed world.

Total U.S. tax revenues in 2008 equaled 26.9% of gross domestic product, according to provisional figures released Tuesday by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. That figure ? which includes local, state and federal taxes, including Social Security ? was lower than the 1990 ratio and far below levels across Europe. In Denmark, the total tax take exceeds 48% of the economy. In France, it tops 43%; Germany, 36%.

MORE POLITICAL NEWS: Washington front page

To those on the right, who see Uncle Sam's comparatively light touch as a key to economic growth, the new numbers show what's at stake as the Obama White House battles the recession with generous doses of public funds. To others, the tax data from the 30-nation organization suggest the U.S. has room to raise taxes to pay for its unprecedented crisis-related borrowing.....let's hear comments from the teabaggers after they cash their government checks

Bob, every single one of those countries operates under a Socialist Regime, some of which teeter on Marxism, like Sweden where Elin Woods' Mother is very high up politically in their Socialist Democratic Party....i.e. very high Redistribution of Wealth.

Of course their tax base/burden is higher than ours. Individually, they don't have the population we have further making their welfare/socialist programs extemely expensive per capita.

 

[Matt J]

Bob, every single one of those countries operates under a Socialist Regime, some of which teeter on Marxism, like Sweden where Elin Woods' Mother is very high up politically in their Socialist Democratic Party....i.e. very high Redistribution of Wealth.

Of course their tax base/burden is higher than ours. Individually, they don't have the population we have further making their welfare/socialist programs extemely expensive per capita.

Yet you continue to eat chocolate? :scratch:

 

[Lynnie]

Speak English, swgb.

 

[aggieb]

Speak English, swgb.

:funn:where have i heard this before?

 

[30ashopper]

To those on the right, who see Uncle Sam's comparatively light touch as a key to economic growth, the new numbers show what's at stake as the Obama White House battles the recession with generous doses of public funds. To others, the tax data from the 30-nation organization suggest the U.S. has room to raise taxes to pay for its unprecedented crisis-related borrowing.....let's hear comments from the teabaggers after they cash their government checks

Lets take a look at the debt to GDP ratios in 2008 for these countries, and see how effective higher tax rates were at solving their debt problems -

Denmark - 22%
Sweden - 37%
Belgium - 81%
France - 67%
Italy - 104%
Finland - 33%
Austria - 59%
Germany - 63%
United Kingdom - 47%
Canada - 63%
United States - 39%

Clearly higher tax rates have not solved the debt problems of most of these states. Ironically, The United States, with it's lower tax rates, ranks 3rd lowest on your list for debt as a percentage of GDP.

(..and to be fair, we should probably throw out Denmark, which funds it's entitlements via oil exports from the North Sea.)

 

[Lynnie]

You can throw France out because they don't like to pay their debts. Where is Norway; uber oil rich - talk about drill baby drill?

 

[Matt J]

You can throw France out because they don't like to pay their debts. Where is Norway; uber oil rich - talk about drill baby drill?

Do you desire to lay out in a two piece along a fjord?

 

[DuneAHH]

Anybody know which method of calculating GDP was used for these stats? How about the current actual domestic productivity numbers?

These stats are 1-2 years old. Two pretty sad years in the economy. I'm not up to date on current domestic productivity... I could be wrong, but I'm guessing it's down. If the root Productivity is down -- the percentages automatically go up.

Strategic conversations based on year(s) old percentage ratios instead of real numbers...
seems like titanic iceberg math to me.