Iran’s top tax official said on Tuesday the country’s tax-to-GDP ratio rose to its highest level in seven years in the last fiscal year, signaling a stronger role for taxation in the economy.
Mohammad Hadi Sobhanian, head of the Iranian National Tax Administration, said the ratio climbed to 8.3% based on Central Bank data, marking what he called a significant improvement in the weight of tax revenues in the economic structure.
He told a joint meeting with Hossein Afshin, vice president for science, technology and knowledge-based economy, that tax revenues accounted for 48% of public budget resources last year, reflecting a growing shift toward stable funding sources and reduced reliance on volatile oil income.
Sobhanian added that value-added tax refunds in the first eight months of the current fiscal year doubled compared with the same period last year.