The table illustrates data on the percentage of tax collected as a proportion of GDP in different five countries ( Sweden, USA, Korea, Japan, and Turkey ) over a 30-year period, from 1975 to 2005.
Overall, Sweden consistently had the highest tax rates, with a sharp increase by 2005. In contrast, the tax rates in other countries such as the USA, Japan, Korea, and Turkey, showed considerable changes over time, with Japan and Turkey exhibited an upward trend in their tax rates throughout the surveyed period.
Starting at 46%, Sweden then showcased a slight ascent to 51% in 1995 before rising substantially by 20,1% as the period drew to a close. Ranked second was the USA, with its initial figure accounting for 25,1% and continuously increasing until reaching the all-time high of 27,4% in 2005. Conversely, Korea followed a completely different pattern, representing 15,1% of the total tax rates in 1975 and dropping to 26% by 1995 before reaching its peak at 27,3%. Despite these fluctuations, it recorded the lowest tax percentages among remaining countries.
Regarding Japan and Turkey, both countries experienced gradual rise in their tax rates, with Japan starting with the lowest amount of tax in 1975 (15%) compared to 16,4% of Turkey. They then grew over time and Japan became the country with second-highest tax rates at 32,1%, and the value for Turkey ended up at 27,4% in 2005.