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Taxes and the French Revolution
The French Revolution provides insight into the relationship between a government and its citizens and serves as a reminder that tax policy can have impacts (big and small) that last for centuries.
The European VAT is Not a Discriminatory Tax Against US Exports
The Trump administration appears to be moving in a “reciprocal” policy direction despite the significant negative economic consequences for American consumers of across-the-board tariffs on goods coming into the US. However, the EU’s VAT system should not be used as a justification for retaliatory tariffs.
6 min read
Top Personal Income Tax Rates in Europe, 2025
Denmark (55.9 percent), France (55.4 percent), and Austria (55 percent) levy the highest top personal income tax rates in Europe.
4 min read
Simplifying Germany’s Income Tax System: A Path Toward Fairness and Efficiency
While many Scandinavians get mailed comprehensive pre-filled tax returns and only have to check whether they are correct, the average German taxpayer spends 9 to 10 hours and over €100 filing their tax return.
7 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
Transatlantic Tensions: What the German Election Could Mean for International Tax & Trade Policy
As the third-largest economy in the world, with an influential voice within EU policymaking, and the United States among its most important trading partners, Germany’s next government will play a particularly important role in deciding the direction of European tax, trade, and transatlantic policy.
6 min read
Distributed Profits Taxation Would Be a Good Role Model for the EU’s 28th Regime
In a recent speech at the Davos Economic Forum, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced plans to create a single set of rules for corporate law, insolvency, labor law, and taxation, under which companies could seamlessly operate across the European Single Market.
7 min read
VAT Rates in Europe, 2025
More than 175 countries worldwide—including all major European countries—levy a value-added tax (VAT) on goods and services. EU Member States’ VAT rates vary across countries, though they’re somewhat harmonized by the EU.
5 min read
Europe Needs Good Tax Policy, Not Buzzwords, to Grow Its Economy
With war continuing in Ukraine, political instability in France and Germany, and the return of Donald Trump to the White House, this could be a year of major realignment for Europe. The tax policy mindset in Brussels should shift accordingly.
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