Macedonia and Kiribati have better tax systems than the UK While this is lower than the global average of 264 hours as well as the European average of 176 hours, it was less efficient than economies such as Ireland. The UK's tax system is also more burdensome than the overall top-rated economies of Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where the time taken to file and pay all taxes was just 12 hours and 41 hours respectively. Total tax rates have steadily come down as economies become more competitive (Source: World Bank/PwC) Meanwhile, the total tax rate paid by UK companies in 2013 fell by 0.3 percentage points to 33.7pc, mainly because of the reduction in the rate of corporation tax. By comparison, Croatia had a total tax rate of 18.8pc, while Qatar's total tax rate was just 11.3pc. France's total tax rate, at 66.6pc, was the highest in the EU. The UK has a competitive tax system, but other countries are upping the ante on reform. We can't sit still if the Government is to make the UK the most competitive tax system in the G20," said Kevin Nicholson, head of tax at PwC. Corporation tax will fall to 20pc in April but tax rates are only half the issue. For medium sized businesses, the time spent having to deal with taxes can have a bigger impact. Reducing the compliance burden is critical.