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EXPLANATORY NOTES
8 The Taxes Classification has been developed to provide sufficient detail for international reporting. The five groups of the Taxes Classification, which represent the broad bases on which taxes are levied in Australia, are:
9 These tax groups are divided into seventeen subgroups according to the type of entities, property, activities, goods or services being taxed. The subgroups are further subdivided into sixty classes, generally describing the specific type of tax actually collected in Australia. CONSOLIDATION 10 To compile statistics about the financial activities of a particular level of government, or any other grouping of public sector units, transactions and debtor/creditor relationships between units within the chosen grouping (sector or subsector) have to be matched and eliminated to avoid double counting. The process of matching and eliminating these items within the chosen group is known as 'consolidation'. OTHER AGGREGATES USED 11 Gross domestic product (GDP) is defined as the total market value of goods and services produced in Australia within a given period after deducting the cost of goods and services used up in the process of production, but before deducting allowances for the consumption of fixed capital (depreciation). INTERSTATE COMPARISONS 12 As well as showing the variety of types of taxes levied in Australia, the tables in this publication have been designed to show the relative importance of the tax system of the Commonwealth, state and local levels of government. They have also been designed to show the extent and composition of taxation levied by each state government (including subsidiary authorities). In this latter connection, it should be noted that interstate comparison of tax collections by state or local governments separately can be misleading unless account is taken of state-to-state variations in the range of activities for which these two levels of government are responsible. In the Australian Capital Territory, for example, only a state level of government exists and a number of functions performed by it are undertaken by local government authorities in other jurisdictions. HISTORICAL COMPARISONS 13 GFS taxation statistics are presented on an accrual accounting basis. Due to changes associated with the introduction of accrual accounting, data for 1998–99 and subsequent years have been compiled on a different methodological basis to that of previous years which were compiled using a cash accounting methodology. Consequently, data for 1998–99 and following years are not directly comparable with the data for 1997–98 and earlier periods. TAXATION PER CAPITA 14 The population estimates used to calculate the taxation per capita figures in this publication are Estimated Resident Population at 31 December each year, as published in Australian Demographic Statistics (cat. no. 3101.0). The annual average taxation per capita is calculated by dividing the total taxation revenue by the Estimated Resident Population, for each jurisdiction. REVISIONS 15 GFS data are revised on an annual basis. For this reason differences can occur between equivalent aggregates published in earlier years. ABS DATA AVAILABLE ON REQUEST 16 More detailed information is available on request, on a fee for service basis. Inquiries should be made to the National Information and Referral Service on 1300 135 070, email <client.services@abs.gov.au> or Larissa Fischer on Canberra (02) 6252 5392, email <public.finance@abs.gov.au>. RELATED PUBLICATIONS 17 Users may refer to the following publications which contain related information:
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