How Smart Policy Can Unlock VAT’s Revenue Potential
Closing the EU’s value-added tax (VAT) actionable policy gap could yield €773 billion in government revenue—four times the EU’s 2026 budget.
8 min read
Expert
Cristina Enache
Economist
Cristina Enache writes on the economics of tax policy and is the author of the Spanish Regional Tax Competitiveness Index. She was formerly the Director of Research at Civismo, an economic research organization based in Spain. She also served as head of research at Institución Futuro, a regional think tank based in Navarra in northern Spain. She is also currently Secretary-General at the World Taxpayers Associations and General Manager of the Spanish Taxpayers Union, which she joined in 2016.
Cristina has a degree in economics from the Academy of Economic Studies in Bucharest and a master’s degree in Economics and Finance from the University of Navarra.
Latest Work
Dividend Tax Rates in Europe, 2026
Many countries’ personal income tax systems tax various sources of individual income—including investment income such as dividends and capital gains.
4 min read
Poland Considering a Second Harmful Digital Tax
Poland is proposing to broaden and raise its digital services tax (DST) from 1.5 percent to 3 percent. Because DSTs tax revenues, not profits, a company with a 10 percent profit margin would face a 30 percent effective tax rate on digital services provided in Poland.
6 min read
The EU’s Questionable VAT Policy
The value-added tax (VAT) compliance gap—the additional VAT revenue that could be collected if all taxpayers, consumers, and businesses fully complied with VAT rules—continues to increase, reaching €128 billion in 2023.
8 min read
Corporate Income Tax Rates in Europe, 2026
Some European countries have raised their statutory corporate rates over the past year, including Estonia, Lithuania, and Slovakia.
4 min read
How Scandinavian Countries Pay for Their Government Spending
Scandinavian countries are well known for their broad social safety nets and their public funding of services such as universal health care, higher education, parental leave, and child and elderly care. High levels of government spending naturally require high levels of taxation. So, how do these countries raise their tax revenues?
7 min read
Tax Trends in European Countries
As European countries have undertaken a series of tax reforms designed for budgetary stability, policymakers should focus on consumption taxes by making them more neutral and efficient.
15 min read
Corporate Tax Rates Around the World, 2025
The worldwide average statutory corporate tax rate has consistently decreased since 1980 but has leveled off in recent years. In the US, the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act brought the country’s statutory corporate income tax rate from the fourth highest in the world closer to the middle of the distribution.
20 min read
A Budget for Growth: Why the UK Must Shift from Tax Hikes to Pro-Growth Policies
The recently proposed UK budget contains several tax measures that put a greater burden on the working class and ultimately fails to tackle the deeper structural problems of the UK’s tax code.
6 min read
Why Swiss Voters Should Be Skeptical of the Billionaire Tax
Switzerland’s proposed 50 percent billionaire estate tax promises negligible revenue, risks economic harm, and strips cantons of their autonomy and tax competition.
5 min read
Integrated Tax Rates on Corporate Income in Europe, 2025
In most European OECD countries, corporate income is taxed twice, once at the entity level and once at the shareholder level.
4 min read
Spain’s Tax Missteps Undermine Competitiveness
Spain’s central government could learn some valuable lessons from its regional governments and other European countries about sound tax policy.
7 min read
New Proposal Would Double France’s Harmful Digital Services Tax
France is proposing to double the tax rate of its digital services tax (DST) to 6 percent, making the DST even more discriminatory.
5 min read
2025 Spanish Regional Tax Competitiveness Index
The 2025 Spanish Regional Tax Competitiveness Index allows policymakers and taxpayers to evaluate and measure how their regions’ tax systems compare.
7 min read
Testimony: Digital Services Taxes in the European Union
Since digital services taxes deliver limited revenue, shift the burden to European consumers, and risk provoking trade disputes, it’s time for policymakers to rethink their approach.
Learning, Not Leaning: What Canada’s Tax Policy Should Take from the US
Canada has the power to shape its own competitiveness by making itself an attractive destination for investment this 2025 budget season.
Windfall Profits Taxes in Europe, 2025
As energy prices have declined, European countries have switched the focus of their windfall profits taxes—a one-time tax levied on a company or industry when economic conditions result in large, unexpected profits—from energy providers to the banking and financial sector.
6 min read
Seize the Moment: Full Expensing Can Boost Canada’s Economy
If Canada doesn’t make full expensing provisions permanent, it will drop to 13th place in the capital cost recovery ranking, once provisions expire in 2028.
5 min read
Capital Allowances in Europe, 2025
Although sometimes overlooked in discussions about corporate taxation, capital allowances play an important role in a country’s corporate tax base and can impact investment decisions—with far-reaching economic consequences.
6 min read
One US Tax Policy OECD Countries Should Copy
Rather than adopt temporary policies that phase out and expire, policymakers should focus their efforts on long-term reforms to support investment.
7 min read