Overview

• Over the 9-year period ending in 2012, the global average total tax rate as measured by Doing Business fell by 9.1 percentage points. Its rate of decline was fastest during the global financial crisis period (2008–10), averaging 1.8 percentage points a year, then started slowing in 2011.
• The average profit tax rate dropped sharply during the crisis period and then started to increase slightly in 2012. The average rate for labor taxes and mandatory contributions was stable throughout the 9-year period.
• The administrative burden of tax compliance has been steadily easing since 2004 with the growing use of electronic systems for filing and paying taxes.
• During the financial crisis there was an increase in the number of tax reforms. The pace of reform accelerated with the onset of the crisis, then slowed in subsequent periods.