Abstract: The subject of the research is the role of taxes as an instrument of fiscal policy in the Russian Federation. The object of the research is the taxation system of the Russian Federation. The authors of the article analyze economic indicators such as tax burden or tax load. They also study the relationship between direct and indirect taxes. In their article the authors successively reveal the authors' approaches to the nature of tax regulation, its mechanism and forms. They study factors that influence the level of tax burden and defines the share of direct and indirect taxes characterising the nature of the efficiency of the taxation system. Using economic indicators, the authors analyze qualitative characteristics of the efficiency of the taxation system. They also analyze the role of taxes in the formation of the Russian Federation GDP. An important element of analyzing the tax burden structure and contents is the calculation of the tax burden not only for the Russian Federation in general but also for particular economic sectors. The authors find out that taxes are one of the most important economic triggers. Based on the results of the research the authors conclude that the Russian taxation system is characterised by the priority of indirect taxes in the prcoess of tax incidence. The authors also provide grounds for their conclusions regarding the efficiency of the tax burden and relationship between direct and indirect taxes. They analyze the tax burden and describe factors influencing the tax burden level as well as provide the Rsusian Federation data concerning the tax burden and contribution of GDP.