Is The U.S. Really a Low-Tax Country?
Many U.S. taxpayers feel that our country’s taxes are too high, no matter which economic class you’re in. Likewise, regardless of which side of the political world you rest, most people would agree that the U.S. tax system needs some serious upgrading, and not just some fine-tuning. However, it appears that compared to many of the other developed countries in the world, the U.S. is actually on the low end of the tax scale.
According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, some of the most recent numbers show that about 30 other developed economies have higher taxes than the United States. In 2014, the U.S. government collected 26 percent of the gross domestic product revenue, which was way below the average of the rest of the world, which is 34.4 percent.
Of the 30 countries included in the report, there were only three economies that had a smaller tax percentage than the United States: South Korea, Chile and Mexico. Denmark leads the list with the highest percentage; a whopping 50.9 percent, and France, Italy, the U.K. and Germany were all over 30 or even 40 percent as well.
So why do U.S. taxpayers complain so much about taxes, if the country is actually towards the bottom of the list? It’s because the U.S. is the only country on the list that doesn’t use a Value Added Tax, or VAT. A VAT helps supplement revenue from other sources, which raises nearly 7 percent of the GDP in these countries. The U.S., on the other hand, has to count on other taxes to supplement its revenue because it does not have a VAT. And that won’t likely change any time soon.
IRS Has Handed Out More Than $100 Billion in Refunds so far
As with every tax season there have been some mistakes that have caused problems for some taxpayers, as well as the usual battle with tax scams that pop up every year. However for the most part, the refund process has gone well to this point. In fact, at the end of February, the IRS reported…
There Is a Bright Side for Early Filers Victimized by Obamacare Gaffe
There’s been no shortage of complaints and problems with Obamacare since the nations new health care coverage law went into effect. In fact, the debate continues to rage on and another major decision from the U.S. Supreme Court is forthcoming in the months ahead. However, for the time being, Obamacare has been a problem for…
Should You Pay Estimated Taxes?
For most people tax time only comes once year. However, for anyone who has to pay estimated taxes a large tax bill could be due several times a year. Again, most people do not have to worry about paying estimated taxes, but there are several circumstances that will put you in that category. The most…
Do not Be the Victim of a Tax Scam
As the tax season continues to be in full swing we here at GROCO continue to hear of more and more tax scams making the rounds. We’ve discussed tax scams before, but it never hurts to repeat this important information, especially at this time of year when tax scammers are so prevalent. In fact, several…