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116 Results
New Taxes on Nicotine Pouches in the EU Could Hamper Health Goals
Academic research has continually found that making alternative nicotine products to cigarettes more expensive results in fewer smokers switching to less harmful products.
7 min read
Shifting Germany’s Tax Burden from Labor to Consumption Requires a Broad VAT Base
Shifting Germany’s tax mix away from labor to consumption remains a sound policy route to strengthen the country’s labor supply, but further eroding the VAT base with preferential rates for selected goods and services would counteract this goal by depleting the extra revenue for labor tax cuts while providing less-targeted relief for low-income households.
6 min read
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
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
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
How Fixed-Rate Excise Taxes Can Produce Unintended Harm
Fixed-rate excise taxes are often adopted to reduce harm, curb excessive consumption, or discourage dangerous behaviors. However, without attention to how consumers substitute between products, well‑meaning policies may exacerbate the very harm they aim to prevent.
5 min read
How Tax Policy Can Reduce the Harm Caused by Smoking
To design an effective excise tax policy around smoking tobacco & nicotine products, it is crucial to consider the concept of harm reduction.
6 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
Who Really Pays for European Welfare States?
Who really pays for European welfare states? Many assume the answer is obvious: high-income earners contribute while low-income earners benefit. However, that assumption is only partly true, and often misleading.
6 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
Excise Taxes Are Most Harmful to the Poor
Excise taxes are regressive, and other alternatives are frequently available to incentivize behavior change.
6 min read
Fiscal Forum: Future of the EU Tax Mix with Dr. Aitor Navarro
Sean Bray interviewed Dr. Aitor Navarro, Senior Research Fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Tax Law and Public Finance, about the future of the EU tax mix.
16 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
Fiscal Forum: Future of the EU Tax Mix with Sérgio Vasques
Sean Bray interviewed Dr. Sérgio Vasques, Professor of Tax Law at the Catholic University of Lisbon and former Portuguese Secretary of State for Tax Affairs, about the future of the EU tax mix.
7 min read
The Best Way to Tax Alcohol
The most effective way to tax alcoholic beverages is to tax according to alcohol content, rather than beverage type.
5 min read
Fiscal Forum: Future of the EU Tax Mix with Dr. Miguel Correia
Sean Bray interviewed Professor of Tax Law at the Lisbon School of Law of the Catholic University of Portugal, Dr. Miguel Correia, about the future of the EU tax mix.
12 min read
What Should Be Done with Excise Tax Revenue?
Excise taxes generate more than two trillion dollars worldwide each year. While tying an excise tax revenue source to a specific expenditure program can be a best practice, the efficiency depends on the revenue source, the spending program, and why the excise tax was implemented in the first place.
6 min read
Catalonia’s Sugary Beverage Tax Hasn’t Improved Public Health
Public health organizations continue to push for excise taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs). Several governments around the globe already levy an excise tax on sugary beverages.
5 min read