The table illustrates the percentage of tax contribution to GDP in five specific countries, including Sweden, the USA, Korea, Japan, and Turkey, in four surveyed years: 1975, 1985, 1995, and 2005.
Overall, the five nations witnessed an increasing trend, with Sweden topping the chart throughout the period. Meanwhile, the rate of the USA’s tax was relatively stable, recording only a minimal change over the years.
In 1975, Sweden had the highest proportion of tax contribution among the five countries at 46%, which was nearly threefold the figure of Japan. It witnessed a gradual rise to 51% in 1995 before surging to 70.1% a decade later and remaining the leader in the proportion of taxation to GDP. In contrast to the significant growth in Sweden, the USA registered a slight change from 25.1% in 1975 to 27.4% at the end of the period.
Japan had the lowest tax contribution to the GDP ratio, starting at 15% in 1975, and rose minimally to 16% in 1985, which was only higher than that in Turkey (15%). However, this data experienced dramatic growth 10 years later, reaching 32.1% in 2005, and became the second-highest category. While Korea rose from 15.1% in 1975 to 27.3% in 2005 and underwent a 1% drop in 1995, Turkey followed a similar trend, reporting a decline in 1985 before reaching its peak in 2005 (27.4%), which was equal to that in the USA.