The table illustrates the proportion of tax collected as a percentage of GDP in five nations – Sweden, the USA, Korea, Japan, and Turkey, from 1975 to 2005.
Overall, there was an upward trend in tax revenue as a share of GDP across all nations over the period, with Sweden consistently recording the highest figures, while Korea and Japan experienced the most noticeable growth.
The figures for Sweden rose steadily from 46% in 1975 to 51% in 1995, before increasing sharply to just over 70% in 2005. In contrast, the USA collected a much lower proportion of tax, starting at 25.1% in 1975 and growing slightly to 27.4% by the end of the period.
In 1975, the rate for Korea began at just over 15% and experienced a substantial surge to 27% in 1985. After plummeting slightly by 1% in the next decade, the indicators began to grow to 27.3% in 2005. Moreover, Japan also recorded a steady growth, with tax collection rising from 15% in 1975 to 23% in 1995, and then went up significantly to over 32% in 2005. Likewise, Turkey began at 16.4% in 1975, fell marginally to 15% in 1985, but then climbed gradually to reach 27.4% by the end of the period.