The tax rates in the U.S. will be lower next year, thanks to the new Republican tax plan. Currently, the seven tax brackets are 10 percent, 15 percent, 25 percent, 28 percent, 33 percent, 35 percent and 39.6 percent. The new rates, which relate to the tax return you’ll file in 2019, will be 10 percent, 12 percent, 22 percent, 24 percent, 32 percent, 35 percent and 37 percent.
How do these rates compare to other countries?
According to a research paper published by the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, “the U.S. is a relatively lightly taxed country.” In fact, of the 35 OECD countries, the U.S. ranks 32nd in total tax burden, a measurement that includes income, property and various other taxes.
The low tax burden in the U.S. is driven by “low taxes on personal income,” the Chicago Fed notes, “and not, for the most part, by lower taxes on business and property income per se.” The U.S. corporate tax rate used to be among the highest in the world, at 35 percent. The new GOP tax law lowered it to 21 percent.
While the U.S. enjoys relatively low taxes, Americans do have to navigate one of the most complex filing systems in the world.
And, as a 2018 study from GOBankingRates points out, there are still a handful of countries that pay even less in taxes.
Here are 12 countries that have lower income tax rates than the U.S., which had a top rate of 39.6 percent in 2017. We also included the corporate rate in each country. All data is for 2017 and comes from tax advisory service KPMG.
Highest individual income tax rate: 35 percent
Corporate tax rate: 30 percent
Highest individual income tax rate: 35 percent
Corporate tax rate: 20 percent
Highest individual income tax rate: 33 percent
Corporate tax rate: 26.5 percent
Highest individual income tax rate: 33 percent
Corporate tax rate: 28 percent
Highest individual income tax rate: 32 percent
Corporate tax rate: 19 percent
Highest individual income tax rate: 30 percent
Corporate tax rate: 30 percent
Highest individual income tax rate: 23 percent
Corporate tax rate: 15 percent
Highest individual income tax rate: 23 percent
Corporate tax rate: 15 percent
Highest individual income tax rate: 22 percent
Corporate tax rate: 17 percent
Highest individual income tax rate: 22 percent
Corporate tax rate: 19 percent
Highest individual income tax rate: 18 percent
Corporate tax rate: 18 percent
Highest individual income tax rate: 15 percent
Corporate tax rate: 9 percent
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