The latest tax opinion barometer from the Institute of Fiscal Studies (IEF), an agency dependent on the Ministry of Finance, places the percentage of the population that believes they would live better if they did not have to pay taxes at 24%.
The figure marks the highest level in the series collected by the study and represents a significant increase compared to 2019, when the percentage was at 8%. The comparison reflects an evolution of public opinion during that period, although the survey alone does not allow attributing it to a specific political or economic cause.
The majority position remains favorable to the existence of the tax system. 79% of Spaniards believe that the Public Treasury plays a necessary role for society.
Rejection of taxes skyrockets among those under 40
The main difference appears when the data is disaggregated by age. Among young people aged 18 to 24, 35% believe that life would be better without taxes. The percentage increases to 38% among people aged 25 to 39, the group with the highest figure in the barometer.
This means that almost four out of ten Spaniards aged 25 to 39 share that statement. The generational difference is one of the most relevant elements of the study and places those under 40 as the segment with the most critical view of the tax system.
From 8% in 2019 to the current 24%
In 2019, the percentage of Spaniards who agreed with the statement that life would be better without taxes was at 8%. In the latest barometer, it reaches 24%, ergo, the percentage has tripled during that period.
The trend does not mean that a majority of citizens reject taxes. The position continues to be minority, as around eight out of ten Spaniards still consider the role of the Public Treasury necessary.
The two data coexist: there is a majority support for the tax system and, at the same time, the percentage of citizens critical of the level or usefulness of taxes increases.
One in ten finds no service that justifies taxes
The barometer also analyzes the relationship that citizens perceive between the taxes they pay and the public services they receive. 10% of respondents believe that there is no public service that justifies the payment of taxes.
Another 20% believes that none of the public services are adequate in relation to the level of taxes paid. In addition, approximately one in four citizens considers that taxes do not effectively contribute to redistributing wealth.
The data shows that part of the deterioration of the fiscal perception is related to the assessment that citizens make about the counterpart they receive in exchange for their contributions.
Tolerance towards tax fraud is also growing
The study also detects changes in the perception of fraud. Approximately one third of citizens finds some degree of justification for tax fraud, either because they consider it associated with the tax system itself or because they understand that certain economic circumstances can explain that behavior.
This indicator is part of the variables that the Institute of Fiscal Studies uses to measure the so-called fiscal awareness of Spaniards.
The evolution of these responses is especially relevant because the barometer is conducted periodically and allows for comparing taxpayers' attitudes over time.
Main data from the fiscal barometer
- 24% of Spaniards believe they would live better without taxes.
- In 2019, that percentage was 8%.
- 35% among young people aged 18 to 24 years.
- 38% among people aged 25 to 39 years.
- 79% considers the Public Treasury necessary.
- 10% does not identify any public service that justifies the payment of taxes.
- 20% believes that no service corresponds adequately to the level of taxes paid.
- About a quarter questions the redistributive capacity of the tax system.