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
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
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
Capital Cost Recovery across the OECD, 2025 Update
The ongoing economic uncertainty from Russia’s war in Ukraine, economic recovery, supply chain disruptions, and rising interest rates have highlighted the importance of business investment.
30 min read
Sources of US Tax Revenue by Tax Type, 2025
Different taxes have different economic effects, so policymakers should always consider how tax revenue is raised and not just how much is raised.
4 min read
Sources of Government Revenue in the OECD, 2025
Developed countries raise tax revenue through individual income taxes, corporate income taxes, social insurance taxes, taxes on goods and services, and property taxes—the combination of which determines how distortionary or neutral a tax system is.
4 min read
Businesses Pay and Remit 87 Percent of All Taxes Collected in Europe
Without businesses as their taxpayers and tax collectors, governments would not have the resources to provide even the most basic services.
5 min read
Taxing Powerhouses: The Systematic Role of Businesses in Collecting Government Revenue
On average, businesses in the OECD are liable for collecting, paying, and remitting more than 85 percent of the total tax collection.
15 min read
Estate, Inheritance, and Gift Taxes in Europe, 2025
Twenty-four out of the 35 European countries covered in this map currently levy estate, inheritance, or gift taxes.
3 min read
Discrimination vs. Neutrality: A Case Study in the Middle of a Trade War
Policymakers should aim for neutral tax policies that support stable revenues like VATs and avoid inviting trade conflicts with discriminatory and economically harmful policies like DSTs.
6 min read
The EU’s Questionable VAT Policy
In a recent survey regarding companies’ barriers to conducting business in the EU single market, VAT ranked first. Policymakers should invest in reforming VAT systems to close both compliance and policy gaps in ways that improve the overall efficiency of their tax systems.
7 min read
Corporate Tax Rates Around the World, 2024
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.
18 min read
Are Windfall Taxes Becoming the New Normal in the UK?
Even though energy prices have declined from their recent peak, the United Kingdom is one of the few countries in Europe continuing to rely on windfall profits taxes to support households with the rising cost of living.
4 min read
Wartime Taxes Are Waging War on Sound Policy Choices
Spain’s central government is considering making its windfall taxes on energy companies and the banking sector permanent.
6 min read
2024 Spanish Regional Tax Competitiveness Index
The 2024 Spanish Regional Tax Competitiveness Index allows policymakers and taxpayers to evaluate and measure how their regions’ tax systems compare.
7 min read