Taxes and tax-like payments
Producer: Statistics Finland
Homepage: http://
www.stat.fi/til/vermak/index_en.html
Main topic: Government Finance
Related topics: National Accounts
Official Statistics of Finland (OSF): Yes
European Statistical System (ESS): No
Description
The statistics on taxes and tax-like payments contain data on the taxes and compulsory social security contributions central and local governments and social security funds collect annually. In addition, the statistics include data on the tax-like payments collected in Finland for the European Union. The key parameter figure in the statistics on taxes and tax-like payments is the total tax ratio depicting the annual accrual of all compulsory tax-like payments relative to the gross domestic product of the same time period. Total tax ratio is one of the commonest measures used in international comparisons of public sector sizes.
Data content
The data contain information about the tax ratio, state and municipal taxes by type of tax, and on compulsory contributions collected by social security funds and the European Union by type.
The data are public.
Classifications used
The classification of tax types used by the OECD in its Revenue Statistics.
Data collection methods and data sources
Compiled from the basic data used in the compilation of national accounts.
International comparison data on the total tax ratio are available from the Revenue Statistics publication of the OECD.
Since summer 2004, the total tax ratio as defined in the OECD’s Revenue Statistics has been calculated on accrual basis. Recording on accrual basis aims to target the tax revenue collected by general government to the same point in time at which the transaction caused by the tax payment obligation occurs. In practice, accruals are defined with the help of cash accruals adjusted for timing. In respect of the value-added tax, for example, the usual recording delay is two months. In this case, adjustment for timing means that the value-added tax revenue paid to the state in, say, February, is included in the tax accrual of December of the previous year.
The tax statistics of Statistics Finland are accrual based starting from 1988. The data of the OECD’s tax statistics are congruent with the taxes and compulsory social insurance contributions collected by general government in national accounts.
Updating frequency
Updated synchronously with national accounts.
Time of completion or release
The data are forwarded to the OECD in June.
Time series
The data have been collected since 1965.
Keywords
central government finance, central government revenue, energy tax, environmental taxation, government finance, social security contributions, tax ratio, tax revenue, taxation
Contact information
http://tilastokeskus.fi/til/vermak/yht_en.html
Additional information
The data are published in the OECD publication Revenue Statistics. The total tax ratio is also published as an appendix to national accounts and in the Statistical Yearbook of Finland.
Last updated 18.07.2013