European Tax Maps

Providing journalists, taxpayers and policymakers with basic data on taxes and spending is a cornerstone of the Tax Foundation’s educational mission. We’ve found that one of the best, most engaging ways to do that is by visualizing tax data in the form of maps.

How does your country collect revenue? Every week, we release a new tax map that illustrates one important measure of tax rates, collections, burdens and more.

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Thin-capitalization rules, Thin-cap rules in Europe
Data

Thin-Cap Rules in Europe

To discourage a certain form of international debt shifting, many countries have implemented so-called thin-capitalization rules (thin-cap rules), which limit the amount of interest a multinational business can deduct for tax purposes.

4 min read
CFC rules in Europe, Controlled Foreign Corporation Rules in Europe 2020, CFC rules in Europe 2020
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CFC Rules in Europe

To prevent businesses from minimizing their tax liability by taking advantage of cross-country differences in taxation, countries have implemented various anti-tax avoidance measures, one known as Controlled Foreign Corporation (CFC) rules.

5 min read
LIFO vs FIFO vs Weighted Average Cost. Inventory Valuation in Europe 2020
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Inventory Valuation in Europe

The method by which a country allows businesses to account for inventories can significantly impact a business’s taxable income. When prices are rising, as is usually the case due to factors like inflation, LIFO is the preferred method because it allows inventory costs to be closer to true costs at the time of sale.

2 min read
real property taxes in Europe, European property tax rankings, property tax collections as a percent of the private capital stock in 2019
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Real Property Taxes in Europe

High property taxes levied not only on land but also on buildings and structures can discourage investment because they disincentivise investing in infrastructure, which businesses would have to pay additional tax on. For this reason, it may also influence business location decisions away from places with high property tax.

3 min read
EU cigarette tax rates, Cigarette taxes in the EU, Excise duties on Tobacco European Union
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Cigarette Taxes in Europe

Ireland and the United Kingdom levy the highest excise duties on cigarettes in the European Union (EU), at €8.00 ($8.95) and €6.83 ($7.64) per 20-cigarette pack, respectively. This compares to an EU average of €3.22 ($3.61). Bulgaria (€1.80 or $2.01) and Slovakia (€2.07 or $2.32) levy the lowest excise duties.

2 min read
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Tax Relief for Families in Europe

Most countries provide tax relief to families with children—typically through targeted tax breaks that lower income taxes. While all European OECD countries provide tax relief for families, its extent varies substantially across countries.

2 min read
Capital allowances and capital cost recovery across OECD countries, 2021. Learn more about capital allowance and capital recovery.
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Capital Cost Recovery across the OECD, 2020

Although sometimes overlooked in discussions about corporate taxation, capital cost recovery plays an important role in defining a business’s tax base and can impact investment decisions—with far-reaching economic consequences.

27 min read