The overall tax-to-GDP ratio in Croatia in 2017 stayed on the 2016 level, which is below the EU average, showed the figures released by the EU statistical office Eurostat.

The overall tax-to-GDP ratio stood at 40.2 percent in the EU in 2017, an increase compared with 2016, where the ratio was 39.9 percent, while the share of taxes and social contributions in percentage of GDP in Croatia in 2017 stood at 37.8 percent, the same as in 2016.

In the euro zone, tax revenue accounted for 41.4 percent of GDP in 2017, slightly up from 41.2 percent in 2016.

The tax-to-GDP ratio varies significantly between member states, with the highest share of taxes and social contributions in percentage of GDP in 2017 recorded in France (48.4 percent), Belgium (47.3 percent) and Denmark (46.5 percent).

At the opposite end of the scale, Bulgaria (29.5 percent), Lithuania (29.8 percent), and Latvia (31.4 percent) registered the lowest ratios.

Compared with 2016, the tax-to-GDP ratio increased in 15 member states in 2017, with the largest rise being observed in Cyprus (from 32.9 percent in 2016 to 34.0 percent in 2017), ahead of Luxembourg (from 39.4 percent to 40.3 percent) and Slovakia (from 32.4 percent to 33.2 percent).

In contrast, decreases were recorded in 13 member states, notably in Hungary (from 39.3 percent in 2016 to 38.4 percent in 2017), Romania (from 26.5 percent to 25.8 percent) and Estonia (from 33.8 percent to 33.0 percent).

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