Albania has the lowest revenue collection performance in Europe, but this has not prevented it from continuously increasing its public debt, at the highest level in the region. Even the debt reduction plans have been steadily delayed.
Revenues collected in the budget in 2017 were as much as 27% of the gross domestic product (27.7%, including the aid), according to official data from the Ministry of Finance. Though rising compared to previous years, they remain the lowest in Europe and far below the region's average (except for Kosovo, which is a relatively new country).The highest level of income in the region, according to data from the global economic picture of the IMF, has Serbia, Bosnia and Montenegro that collect between 42-44% of gross domestic product. Macedonia has considerably reduced its budget revenues to about 28.3% of GDP, from over 32% that had several years ago as a result of tax cuts.
Compared to the region, Albania has the highest tax rates (VAT, profit tax, social security) along with Serbia, but the latter has much higher yields than we do.
The EU average, according to Eurostat's latest data, is about 45%, with Sweden, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, which collect more than half of what the economy produces in a year.