Average Aussie paying 40% more tax than 5 years ago

THE amount of tax paid by the average Australian has rocketed by up to 40 per cent in just five years.

In one state, the average person is forking out 62 per cent more in State Government and local council taxes than they did in 2003.

Figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) reveal the average Australian paid $16,401 in taxes to local, state and federal governments last financial year – a 36 per cent rise since 2002-03.

In Western Australia, the State Government and local councils hiked taxes by 61.77 per cent per person over five years to $3470 – but only increased spending by 45 per cent in the same period.

In the ACT increased taxes by an average 42.8 per cent per person. Spending increased by just 28.56 per cent.

The people of NSW are the second-most taxed by state and local governments – behind WA.

Overall state taxes and council fees have risen by 40 per cent in five years.

The biggest tax burden on Australians was Commonwealth taxes, totalling $285.7 billion in the 2007-08 financial year. In 2002-03, they amounted to $194.8 billion.

The average Australian forked out $13,451 in Federal Government taxes last year, up from $9853 in 2002-03.

The ABS figures do not include the tens of millions of dollars handed out by the Federal Government each year under GST arrangements.

The GST accounts for 12.7 per cent of all tax paid by Australians. More than $44 million in GST was raised last financial year.

Average amount of tax paid to state and local governments (per capita):

                        2002-03      2007-08

NSW:                $2480          $3083

VIC:                  $2281         $2962

Qld:                  $1861         $2763

SA:                   $2015         $2796

WA:                  $2145         $3470

TAS:                 $1558         $2122

ACT:                 $2110        $3014

Average amount of tax paid to all governments (per capita):

                       2002-03     2007-08

NSW:               $12,333      $16,534

VIC:                $12,134      $16,413

Qld:                $11,714      $16,214

SA:                 $11,868       $16,247

WA:                $11,998       $16,921

TAS:               $11,411       $15,573

ACT:               $11,963       $16,465