The burden of taxes and social security contributions rose considerably during the 1990s. Last year this burden amounted to almost 42% and was far greater than in 1991. Taxes were not the reason for this.
Their share of GDP has actually declined somewhat, particularly as a result of the sluggish rate of growth over the past few years and the reduction in income tax rates. Yet the burden of social security contributions has grown considerably even though an increasing proportion of the expenditure in this area has been financed through taxation.