Taxes on income, profits and capital gains in New Zealand
New Zealand: Taxes on income, profits and capital gains was 56.7% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Taxes on income, profits and capital gains in New Zealand, 1972–2024
Source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of revenue.
Analysis
The most recent figure for taxes on income, profits and capital gains in New Zealand is 56.7%, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.8% on the previous year and up 12.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, taxes on income, profits and capital gains in New Zealand peaked at 68.4% in 1974 and was at its lowest, 45.4%, in 2011.
New Zealand ranks 3rd of 153 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 41 years of available data.
Taxes on income, profits and capital gains in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | % of revenue | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 61.4% | — |
| 1973 | 64.7% | +5.3% |
| 1974 | 68.4% | +5.8% |
| 1975 | 65.7% | -4.0% |
| 1976 | 66.1% | +0.7% |
| 1977 | 67.6% | +2.2% |
| 1978 | 64.7% | -4.3% |
| 1979 | 65.5% | +1.1% |
| 1980 | 67.3% | +2.9% |
| 1981 | 66.8% | -0.7% |
| 1982 | 66.5% | -0.4% |
| 1983 | 63.6% | -4.4% |
| 1984 | 61.0% | -4.2% |
| 1985 | 61.9% | +1.5% |
| 1986 | 59.3% | -4.3% |
| 1987 | 51.1% | -13.8% |
| 1988 | 53.6% | +4.8% |
| 2001 | 53.8% | +0.4% |
| 2002 | 52.2% | -2.9% |
| 2003 | 52.9% | +1.4% |
| 2004 | 52.7% | -0.4% |
| 2005 | 54.9% | +4.2% |
| 2006 | 58.2% | +5.9% |
| 2007 | 56.7% | -2.6% |
| 2008 | 59.5% | +4.9% |
| 2009 | 56.0% | -5.8% |
| 2010 | 51.0% | -9.0% |
| 2011 | 45.4% | -10.9% |
| 2012 | 49.0% | +7.8% |
| 2013 | 50.3% | +2.8% |
| 2014 | 50.3% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 51.6% | +2.5% |
| 2016 | 51.9% | +0.7% |
| 2017 | 52.8% | +1.8% |
| 2018 | 53.2% | +0.8% |
| 2019 | 54.1% | +1.7% |
| 2020 | 53.7% | -0.7% |
| 2021 | 55.3% | +2.9% |
| 2022 | 58.9% | +6.6% |
| 2023 | 57.2% | -3.0% |
| 2024 | 56.7% | -0.8% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 56.7% is above the median for high income countries, which is 24.5%, 2.3× the median. (55 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 56.7% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 22.7%, 2.5× the median. (25 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 65.5% | 61.4% | 68.4% | 8 |
| 1980s | 61.3% | 51.1% | 67.3% | 9 |
| 2000s | 55.2% | 52.2% | 59.5% | 9 |
| 2010s | 51.0% | 45.4% | 54.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 56.4% | 53.7% | 58.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
- 1 Australia 67.9% compare
- 2 Papua New Guinea 59.4% compare
- 4 United States 56.3% compare
- 5 Canada 53.9% compare
- 6 Denmark 51.4% compare
More public sector data for New Zealand
- Democracy, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote in practice, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Elected parliament, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Chief executive of the government is elected, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Democracy 7 (2025)
- Chief executive of the government is elected 1 (2025)
- Elected parliament 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is taxes on income, profits and capital gains in New Zealand?
- Taxes on income, profits and capital gains in New Zealand was 56.7% in 2024, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest taxes on income, profits and capital gains recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 68.4% in 1974.
- What is the lowest taxes on income, profits and capital gains recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 45.4% in 2011.
- How does New Zealand rank for taxes on income, profits and capital gains?
- New Zealand ranks 3rd out of 153 countries with data for 2024.
- Is taxes on income, profits and capital gains rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is up 12.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Taxes on income, profits and capital gains (% of revenue). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Taxes on income, profits, and capital gains are taxes payable on the actual or presumed incomes, profits and capital gains. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of revenue which includes all transactions that add to the amount of economic value of a unit or sector.