Spanish Tax Freedom date 22nd May !!!!
This morning I received a mail from Institución Futuro, a Spanish Think Tank involved in tax policy research.
According to their preliminary research, in Spain the tax residents spent 142 days working for the government, i.e. until May 22nd. The calculation is based on individuals providing their details using a web calculator that Institución Futuro sponsors at http://www.diadelcontribuyente.org/en/cifras.php
The calculation is aimed to residents in Navarra, and I believe they are not including the indirect tax supported by the citizens in their daily transactions, such as VAT, transfer tax, Stamp duty, fuel tax, and many other hidden taxes. This preliminary figure does not account for Gift or Inheritance Tax, as well as any other one off taxes paid by citizen in one off transactions. Of course Municipal taxes are not included either.
The initiative is very popular in other countries as we have already mentioned in our blog and I look forward to get the final results of this initiative, if possible considering the overall tax position, which probably will take us to well over this date.
In the UK the tax freedom day 2008 was 2nd June, meaning 155 days working for the government. Please check the website in the Adam Smith Institute for more information at http://www.adamsmith.org/tax-freedom-day
