The US Tax Burden Is Low Compared to Most Advanced Economies

The United States has one of the lowest total tax burdens among advanced nations.

The tax revenue collected by the federal, state, and local governments in the U.S. each year is about a quarter of the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP). This is less, as a share of GDP, than the revenues collected in several other high-income countries, including Japan, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy and France.

For more information on the American tax system, see:

• Budget Basics: Who Pays Taxes? 
• What Kinds of Taxes Do Americans Pay?
• Who Benefits from Tax Expenditures?
• Finding Solutions: Tax Reform

Related: Infographic: How The U.S. Tax System Works