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Elke Asen

Elke Asen

Policy Analyst

Elke Asen was a Policy Analyst with the Tax Foundation’s Center for Global Tax Policy, focusing on international tax issues and tax policy in Europe. Prior to joining the Tax Foundation, Elke interned with the EU Delegation in Washington, D.C., the German Development Agency, and a social startup in Munich, Germany. She holds a BS in Economics from Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich.

Elke was born and raised in a small town of 500 people outside of Salzburg, Austria, and loves to travel. Road tripping and backpacking are her favorites.

Latest Work

After the Super-Deduction Assessing Proposals for the Reform of Capital Allowances

Leveling Up: The UK’s Super-Deduction and its Regional Divide

As part of the 2021 Budget, the UK introduced a 130 percent super-deduction for plant and equipment for the next two years, meaning that businesses can take a deduction amounting to 130 percent of the costs in the year the investment is made.

4 min read
2021 corporate tax rates in Europe, 2021 corporate income tax rates in Europe, 2021 corporate taxes in Europe, 2021 corporate tax rates in Europe

Corporate Income Tax Rates in Europe, 2021

On average, European OECD countries currently levy a corporate income tax rate of 21.7 percent. This is below the worldwide average which, measured across 177 jurisdictions, was 23.9 percent in 2020.

2 min read
depreciation Capital allowances and capital cost recovery across OECD countries, 2021. Learn more about capital allowance and capital recovery.

Capital Cost Recovery across the OECD, 2021

The ongoing pandemic has once again highlighted the importance of investment. To address the economic fallout of the pandemic, several OECD countries have temporarily accelerated depreciation schedules for various assets.

31 min read
Bank Taxes in Europe 2021 Bank Tax, financial stability contributions, 2008 financial crisis tax

Bank Taxes in Europe

Today’s map shows which European OECD countries implemented financial stability contributions (FSCs), commonly referred to as “bank taxes.”

2 min read
Property taxes in Europe 2021 reliance on property tax revenue in Europe, 2021 property tax rates in Europe

Reliance on Property Taxes in Europe

Property taxes are levied on the assets of an individual or business. There are different types of property taxes, with recurrent taxes on immovable property (such as property taxes on land and buildings) the only ones levied by all countries covered. Other types of property taxes include estate, inheritance, and gift taxes, net wealth taxes, and taxes on financial and capital transactions.

1 min read
Consumption taxes in Europe, reliance on consumption taxes in Europe, reliance on consumption tax revenue in Europe, taxes on goods and services in Europe

Reliance on Consumption Taxes in Europe

Hungary relies the most on consumption tax revenue, at 45.3 percent of total tax revenue, followed by Latvia and Estonia at 45.1 percent and 42.4 percent, respectively.

2 min read
UK tax reform, 2021 budget UK 2021 budget, UK corporate tax reform, UK corporation tax rate

The UK Should Not Ignore Problems with its Corporate Tax Base

While the UK is looking at ways to raise tax revenue to cover the revenue shortfalls and additional spending resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, short- as well as long-term, investment will be crucial in getting the economy back on track and ensuring economic growth.

3 min read
Reliance on individual income tax revenue in Europe 2019

Reliance on Individual Income Tax Revenue in Europe

Denmark relies the most on revenue from individual income taxes, at 52.4 percent of total tax revenue, followed by Iceland and Ireland at 40.8 percent and 31.5 percent, respectively.

1 min read
Reliance on corporate tax revenue in Europe 2021 reliance on corporate income taxes in Europe how much do countries in europe rely on corporate income taxes? revenue from corporate income

Reliance on Corporate Income Tax Revenue in Europe

Despite declining corporate income tax rates over the last 30 years in Europe (and other parts of the world), average revenue from corporate income taxes as a share of total tax revenue has not changed significantly compared to 1990.

1 min read
2021 financial transaction taxes in Europe, 2021 financial transaction tax Europe. European OECD countries impose a type of FTT.

Financial Transaction Taxes in Europe

Belgium, Finland, France, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, and the United Kingdom currently levy a type of financial transaction tax

2 min read
Value-added taxes (VAT) make up approximately one-fifth of total tax revenues in Europe. Actionable VAT Policy Gap in Europe

Actionable VAT Policy Gap in Europe, 2021

Value-added taxes (VAT) make up approximately one-fifth of total tax revenues in Europe. However, European countries differ significantly in how efficiently they raise VAT revenues. One way to measure a country’s VAT efficiency is the VAT Gap.

4 min read
Carbon tax revenue to grow economy, Using carbon tax revenue to address post-Covid economic recovery, carbon tax economic recovery

Using Carbon Tax Revenue to Grow the Economy

The economy and climate change are two challenges the Biden administration has identified as priorities. One way to address both issues at the same time is to enact a carbon tax to discourage carbon emissions, and to use the resulting carbon tax revenue to lower—or in the case of the TCJA’s individual provisions, avoid increases of—other, more distortive, types of taxes. This would not only address the challenges of climate change but also support the economy.

3 min read
R&D tax incentives, Research and development tax incentives, R&D tax subsidies and R&D tax subsidy policies in Europe

Tax Subsidies for R&D Expenditures in Europe, 2021

Many countries incentivize business investment in research and development (R&D), intending to foster innovation. A common approach is to provide direct government funding for R&D activity. However, a significant number of jurisdictions also offer R&D tax incentives.

4 min read
Integrated Tax Rates on Corporate Income in Europe, Top Integrated Tax Rates on Corporate Income Distributed as Dividends in European OECD Countries, 2020

Integrated Tax Rates on Corporate Income in Europe, 2021

The integrated tax rate on corporate income reflects both the corporate income tax and the dividends or capital gains tax—the total tax levied on corporate income. For dividends, Ireland’s top integrated tax rate was highest among European OECD countries, followed by France and Denmark

4 min read
How Corporate Income is Taxed Twice Double Taxation of Corporate Income in the United States and the OECD savings and investment OECD capital gains tax retirement accounts stock

Double Taxation of Corporate Income in the United States and the OECD

Biden’s proposal to increase the corporate income tax rate and to tax long-term capital gains and qualified dividends at ordinary income tax rates would increase the top integrated tax rate above pre-TCJA levels, making it the highest in the OECD and undercutting American economic competitiveness.

16 min read
2021 Value-Added Tax Rates in Europe, 2021 VAT rates in Europe

VAT Rates in Europe, 2021

More than 140 countries worldwide—including all European countries—levy a Value-Added Tax (VAT) on goods and services.

4 min read
Biden minimum tax on foreign earnings Biden approach to taxing corporate income Us tariffs on french goods in response to france digital services tax

Digital Tax Collection Triggers New U.S. Tariffs on France

A multilateral solution to digital taxation would be preferable over DSTs and retaliatory measures, especially during these challenging economic times. DSTs are indeed distortionary taxes that can act as trade barriers. Retaliatory tariffs, however, only further weaken the U.S.-French trade relationship and will negatively impact both economies.

2 min read
New Year's Eve taxes, Sparkling wine taxes in Europe

Sparkling Wine Taxes in Europe

This week, people around the world will celebrate New Year’s Eve, with many opening a bottle of sparkling wine to wish farewell to—a rather consequential—2020 and offer a warm welcome to the—by many of us, long-awaited—new year 2021.

1 min read
Wealth taxes in Europe, 2020. European countries with a wealth tax, net wealth tax, wealth tax on selected assets

Wealth Taxes in Europe, 2020

Net wealth taxes are recurrent taxes on an individual’s wealth, net of debt. The concept of a net wealth tax is similar to a real property tax. But instead of only taxing real estate, it covers all wealth an individual owns. As today’s map shows, only three European countries covered levy a net wealth tax, namely Norway, Spain, and Switzerland. France and Italy levy wealth taxes on selected assets but not on an individual’s net wealth per se.

3 min read