About a quarter of the taxes the state collected were returned through preferential rates, deductions or exemptions. In other words, 26.4% of total tax revenue became tax benefits for taxpayers.

According to the 2021 Tax Expenditure report, the total tax benefits granted last year reached 13,189.9 million euros. That is, 26.4% of the total tax collected last year and which amounts to about 49.9 billion.

Tax expenditure is basically the tax revenue that the state does not collect or return to taxpayers, through refunds, tax exemptions, deductions, preferential rates.

Last year the tax benefits went down when compared to 2020 and 2019. In 2020 the state chose to return 14,866.3 million euros. Already in 2019, the amount exceeded 50.5 billion euros, representing 29.4% of total tax revenue.