Taxation trends in the European Union Data for the EU Member States, Iceland and Norway

Taxation is at the heart of citizens’ relationship with the State. It is not only government experts and academics, but also many citizens that ask the European Commission questions about tax levels in the EU and on how the Member States compare with each other; this report, published annually, is one way of answering them. Much work has gone into making sure that the data it contains is accurate and comparable across countries. The methodology to ensure this was developed jointly by statisticians from Eurostat and economists from the Directorate-General for Taxation and the Customs Union, who have drafted the report. In addition, experts from National Statistical Offices and from the Ministries of Finance of all countries covered have actively contributed by supplying data and comments; we would like to express our thanks for their valuable suggestions and help.