Tax to GDP ratios

Australia is in the lower half of OECD countries ranked in order of tax to GDP ratio at 25.8% in 2009 and 25.6% in 2010. The ratio was 30.4% in 2000 and remained fairly stable to be 29.7% in 2007 before declining.  The 2010 figure was lower than the OECD average of 33.8% and Australia’s tax to gdp ratio has been lower than the OECD average in every year since 2000. 

Figure 1: Tax revenue as percentage of GDP 2000 to latest available data

Tax structures

The main observations for Australia are:

• Revenue from personal and corporate income taxes declined between 2000 and 2010 from 17.6% to 14.6% as percentage of GDP but remained higher than the OECD average of 11.3%.

• There are no Social security contributions in Australia, though revenue from payroll taxes was 1.3% of GDP in 2010.

• Taxes on goods and services declined from 8.7% to 7.3% of GDP over the period and were lower than the OECD average of 11.0% of GDP in 2010.

• Property tax revenues were 2.4% of GDP in 2010, one third higher than the OECD average.

Figure 2: Tax revenue main headings as percentage of GDP, 2000, 2007, 2010 

• Australia has not provided data for 2011.
• OECD averages are not available for 2011 as 5 OECD countries have not provided data for that year.
• More comparative information about OECD member countries is contained in the tables linked within the following webpages:
  • Tax revenue trends: tax ratios changes between 2007 and 2011
  • Tax revenue trends: tax ratios changes between 1965 and 2010
  • Tax structures: latest position (2010)
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