The tax-to-GDP ratio in the United States decreased by 2.5 percentage points from 26.8% in 2017 to 24.3% in 2018. The corresponding figure for the OECD average was a slight increase of 0.1 percentage point from 34.2% to 34.3% over the same period.

The tax-to-GDP ratio in the United Kingdom increased by 0.2 percentage points from 33.3% in 2017 to 33.5% in 2018. The corresponding figure for the OECD average was a slight increase of 0.1 percentage point from 34.2% to 34.3% over the same period.

The tax burden in New Zealand declined by 0.9 percentage points from 33.0% to 32.1%, the third largest fall amongst member countries in 2013. The OECD average was an increase of 0.4 percentage points from 33.7% to 34.1%. New Zealand’s standard GST rate is 15%, which is below the OECD average. The average VAT/GST standard rate in the OECD was 19.1% on 1 January 2014.

New Zealand has carried out major health and welfare reforms over the past decade but needs to do more to help people with mental health issues stay in work or find a job, according to a new OECD report.

New Zealand's tax-to-GDP ratio was 32.0% in 2017, below the OECD average (34.2%) by 2.2 percentage points, and above the LAC and Africa (21)* averages (22.8% and 18.2%, respectively).

The tax-to-GDP ratio in New Zealand increased by 0.6 percentage points from 32.1% in 2017 to 32.7% in 2018. The corresponding figure for the OECD average was a slight increase of 0.1 percentage point from 34.2% to 34.3% over the same period.

The ability to measure innovation is essential to an improvement strategy in education. This country note analyses how the practices are changing within classrooms and educational organisations and how teachers develop and use their pedagogical resources.

This country fact-sheet presents key figures from "Under Pressure: The Squeezed Middle Class". This report analyses the trends of middle-income households in areas such as employment, consumption, wealth and debt, as well as perceptions and social attitudes. It also includes recommendations for protecting middle-class living standards and financial security in the face of economic challenges.

The tax-to-GDP ratio in Canada increased by 0.2 percentage points from 32.8% in 2017 to 33.0% in 2018. The corresponding figure for the OECD average was a slight increase of 0.1 percentage point from 34.2% to 34.3% over the same period.

The tax burden in the Netherlands increased by 0.4 percentage points from 35.9% to 36.3% in 20121. The corresponding figure for the OECD average was an increase of 0.4 percentage points from 33.3% to 33.7%. The Dutch standard VAT rate is 21%, which is above the OECD average. The average VAT/GST standard rate in the OECD was 19.1% on 1 January 2014.

Mr. Angel Gurría was in The Hague to attend the High-Level Policy Forum on Mental Health and Work Policy Challenges in OECD Countries, where he presented key findings of the OECD Fit Mind Fit Job report and was awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of Orange Nassau.

Mr. Gurría was in The Hague for the BIAC-TUAC Consultation with the Bureau of the upcoming 2015 OECD Ministerial Council Meeting.

Mr. Angel Gurría, Secretary-General of the OECD, will be in The Hague on 2 July 2018 to present the 2018 OECD Economic Survey of The Netherlands. While in The Hague, the Secretary-General will hold bilateral meetings with several Ministers and high-level officials of The Netherlands.

The tax-to-GDP ratio in the Netherlands increased by 0.1 percentage point from 38.7% in 2017 to 38.8% in 2018. The corresponding figure for the OECD average was a slight increase of 0.1 percentage point from 34.2% to 34.3% over the same period.

The tax burden in Turkey increased by 1.7 percentage points from 27.6% to 29.3% in 2013. The OECD average was an increase of 0.4 percentage points from 33.7% to 34.1%. The Turkish standard VAT rate is 18%, which is below the OECD average. The average VAT/GST standard rate in the OECD was 19.1% on 1 January 2014.

The tax-to-GDP ratio in Turkey decreased by 0.5 percentage points from 24.9% in 2017 to 24.4% in 2018. The corresponding figure for the OECD average was a slight increase of 0.1 percentage point from 34.2% to 34.3% over the same period.

Competition authorities widely rely on leniency policies to detect, investigate and prosecute hard-core cartels. Jurisdictions that operate leniency programmes recognize the benefits of rewarding not only the first-in applicant who denounces the cartel but also subsequent applicants who provide useful corroboration or new evidence. This publication reviews the findings from a roundtable discussion held in October 2012.

This document compiles the material discussed in a competition policy roundtable on road fuel, including a summary of the discussion, country contributions and a background note that discusses the main determinants of gasoline prices and highlights relevant competition features of the markets for road fuel along the supply chain.

Despite major progress, Turkey still lags behind most comparable countries in terms of exported value added per capita. Its remarkable economic performance over the past 15 years has not been sufficiently backed by gains in export market shares, in particular when measured in value added terms.

2018 Questionnaire PMR

The tax-to-GDP ratio in Mexico did not change between 2017 and 2018. The tax-to-GDP ratio remained at 16.1%. The corresponding figure for the OECD average was a slight increase of 0.1 percentage points from 34.2% to 34.3% over the same period

Mexico's tax-to-GDP ratio in 2018 (16.1%) was below the LAC average (23.1%)¹ in this year's Revenue Statistics in Latin America and the Caribbean publication by 6.9 percentage points and below the OECD average (34.3%).

Officials from revenue bodies, the banking sector and OECD met in Rome on 10-11 October to discuss ways to enhance the relationship between tax administrations and the banking industry and thus improve tax compliance.

On 31 May 2011, the OECD Committee on Fiscal Affairs released for public comment a discussion draft on the application of the provisions of the OECD Model Tax Convention to the cross-border trading of emissions permits. The OECD has now published the comments received on this consultation draft.

OECD countries acknowledge that taxes must play a role in the process of fiscal consolidation as they battle unprecedented budget deficits. In 2010, the majority of OECD governments have stabilised their tax to GDP, with the average ratio moving up slightly from 33.8% in 2009 to 33.9% in 2010.

Increased domestic resource mobilization is widely accepted as crucial for countries to successfully meet the challenges of development and achieve higher living standards for all their people.

The average tax and social security burden on employment incomes increased in 26 out of 34 OECD countries in 2011 according to the new OECD Taxing Wages publication. Tax payers in Ireland, Luxembourg, Portugal and the Slovak Republic were among those hit with the largest increases.

OECD invites comments on certain transfer pricing timing issues

The OECD has updated Article 26 of the OECD Model Tax Convention, which sets out the international standard on exchange of information. The standard provides for information exchange on request, where the information is “foreseeably relevant” for the administration of the taxes of the requesting party, regardless of bank secrecy and a domestic tax interest.

The OECD Committee on Fiscal Affairs invites public comments on a revised discussion draft on tax treaty issues related to emissions permits/credits, which addresses the application of the provisions of the OECD Model Tax Convention to the cross-border granting and trading of emissions permits and credits.

On 6 June 2012, the OECD released an invitation to comment on a discussion draft on timing issues relating to transfer pricing. The comments received in response to this invitation have been published. This edition replaces the previous edition released on 28 September 2012.

Secretary-General Angel Gurría provided closing remarks at the first meeting of the OECD Global Forum on Value Added Tax (VAT) held in Paris. The meeting focused on designing efficient and equitable VAT systems and analyzing their impacts on international trade.

Tax revenues in Latin American countries are lower as a proportion of their national incomes than in most OECD countries, but are rising slowly. Revenue Statistics in Latin America shows that the average tax revenue to GDP ratio in the 15 Latin American countries covered by the report increased from 19% in 2009 to 19.4% in 2010, after falling from a high point of 19.7% in 2008.

On 12-14 November 2012, transfer pricing experts from governments met with private sector representatives to discuss the transfer pricing discussion drafts released on 6 June 2012. The agenda for the meeting, presentation material submitted by private sector participants, and a list of participants have now been published.

On 19 October 2012, the OECD Committee on Fiscal Affairs released for public comment a revised discussion draft on tax treaty issues related to emissions permits and credits. The OECD has now published the comments received on this revised discussion draft.

Aggressive tax planning (ATP) schemes based on after-tax hedging pose a threat to countries’ revenue base. Empirical evidence suggests that hundreds of millions of USD are at stake, with a number of multi-billion transactions identified by countries.

New data show that across OECD countries the average tax and social security burden on employment incomes increased by 0.1 of a percentage point to 35.6 per cent in 2012. It increased in 19 out of 34 countries, fell in 14, and remained unchanged in 1.

The OECD Committee on Fiscal Affairs invites public comments and input on questions related to the tax challenges of the digital economy. The Committee invites interested parties to send their comments in response to this request for input before 22 December 2013.

The timeline of the OECD/G20 BEPS Project is extremely ambitious, with the first outputs expected for September 2014 and the completion of the project by the end of 2015. Input from relevant stakeholders is essential as the BEPS Project moves forward to develop the measures envisaged in the BEPS Action Plan.

Tax revenues continue bouncing back from the low levels reported in almost all countries during 2008 and 2009, at the height of the global economic crisis, according to new OECD data in the annual Revenue Statistics publication. The average tax revenue to GDP ratio in OECD countries was 34.6% in 2012, compared with 34.1% in 2011 and 33.8% in 2010.

Tax revenues in Latin American countries continue to rise but are lower as a proportion of their national incomes than in most OECD countries. Revenue Statistics in Latin America 2012 shows that Argentina and Brazil have the highest tax revenue to GDP ratio, while Guatemala and Dominican Republic stand at the lower end.

A revision of the timetable for planned stakeholders’ input is now available online with the dates when discussion drafts will be published and public consultations held in relation to the September 2014 BEPS outputs.

Over 330 senior tax officials from more than 110 jurisdictions and international organisations met in Paris on 26-28 March 2014 during the 3rd Annual Meeting of the Global Forum on Transfer Pricing.

Personal income tax has risen in 25 out of 34 OECD countries over the past three years, as countries reduce the value of tax-free allowances and tax credits and subject higher proportions of earnings to tax, according to new data in the annual Taxing Wages publication.

The international community continues making progress toward greater cooperation to ensure effective information exchange in tax matters. The Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes issued today 12 new reports that highlight action being taken by jurisdictions to implement the international standard for exchange of information on request.

Tax revenues are currently rising as a proportion of national incomes in Indonesia and Malaysia but continue to be substantially lower than for Korea, Japan and other OECD countries, according to a new OECD report.

Public comments are invited on request for input on BEPS Action 11 regarding work on establishing methodologies to collect and analyse data on BEPS and the actions to address it.

The OECD has been mandated by the G20 to develop toolkits to support developing countries addressing base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS) and to launch pilot tests to assist them to move towards automatic exchange of information.

On 4 August 2014, interested parties were invited to comment on BEPS Action 11 regarding work on establishing methodologies to collect and analyse data on BEPS and the actions to address it. Comments received have now been published.

Action 10 of the Action Plan on Base Erosion and Profit Shifting directs the OECD to develop transfer pricing rules to provide protection against common types of base eroding payments. A discussion draft of proposed modifications to Chapter VII of the Transfer Pricing Guidelines relating to low value-adding intra-group services was released for comment by interested parties today