The U.S. Collects Smaller Percentage In Taxes Than Most Developed Countries: Study

Study: U.S. Is One Of The Least Taxed Countries
FILE - In this March 18, 2013 file photo, House Budget Committee Chairman Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis. is seen on Capitol Hill in Washington. The Senate pressed ahead Wednesday on a huge, bipartisan spending bill aimed at keeping the government running through September and ruling out the chance of a government shutdown later this month. The developments in the Senate come as the House resumed debate on the budget for next year and beyond. Republicans are pushing a plan that promises sharp cuts to federal health care programs and domestic agency operating budgets as the price for balancing the budget in a decade. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
FILE - In this March 18, 2013 file photo, House Budget Committee Chairman Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis. is seen on Capitol Hill in Washington. The Senate pressed ahead Wednesday on a huge, bipartisan spending bill aimed at keeping the government running through September and ruling out the chance of a government shutdown later this month. The developments in the Senate come as the House resumed debate on the budget for next year and beyond. Republicans are pushing a plan that promises sharp cuts to federal health care programs and domestic agency operating budgets as the price for balancing the budget in a decade. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

While Republicans are quick to pounce on any proposals to raise taxes as a means of stimulating the economy, a new study finds that the U.S. collects a smaller share in taxes than most developed countries.

A look at 2010 data reveals that the U.S. is one of the least taxed countries in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), according to a study released Monday by Citizens For Tax Justice. The CTJ added up federal, state and local tax revenue.

The only countries in the OECD that collected a smaller percentage in taxes are Chile and Mexico, according to the data. The OECD is a group of 34 countries that work together to improve the global economy.

These findings challenge the Republican talking point that Americans face too high a tax burden. In March, House Republicans passed Rep. Paul Ryan's (R-Wis.) budget plan which seeks to balance the budget within 10 years without raising taxes. Ryan's plan would eliminate 2 million jobs in 2014 and shrink the economy by 1.7 percent, the Economic Policy Institute study projected.

In contrast, Obama's soon-to-be-released budget proposal includes $580 billion in new taxes, which Republicans are against, the AP reports.


LOOK:

oecd taxes

Before You Go

1. Tax Revenue Since 1950

10 Ways To Look At America's Low Taxes

Popular in the Community

Close

What's Hot