Excise Duties on Electricity in Europe, 2024
EU Member States should seek to minimize the rate and broaden the base of electricity duties, consolidating their rates to the required minimum rate.
3 min read
Expert
Alex Mengden
Global Policy Analyst
Alex Mengden is a Policy Analyst at the Tax Foundation, where he focuses on international tax issues and tax policy in Europe. He holds a BA in philosophy and economics from the University of Bayreuth and expects an MSc in economics from the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich.
Prior to joining the Tax Foundation, Alex tutored classes in public finance for undergraduate students at LMU Munich. He also worked on economic policy research for IREF Europe and previously interned at the Cato Institute, ifo Institute, and the Institute of Economic Affairs.
He currently lives in Munich, Germany, and spends his free time cooking, reading, and enjoying the outdoors.
Latest Work
Portugal’s Personal Income Tax System: High Top Rate, Threshold, and Tax Credits
Portugal’s personal income tax system levies high tax rates on an unusually narrow set of high earners, striking a poor balance between earnings incentives and revenue contributions.
4 min read
Property and Transfer Tax: If It Moves, Stop Taxing It.
Portugal’s turnover tax on real property transfers places a serious drag on economic growth by making it harder for people to relocate for better jobs and living conditions while constraining investment into the development of housing and buildings.
5 min read
Capital Gains Tax Rates in Europe, 2024
In many European countries, investment income, such as dividends and capital gains, is taxed at a different rate than wage income.
2 min read
Portugal’s Corporate Taxes Stifle Investment and Economic Growth
Portugal has the second highest top corporate tax rate in the OECD at 31.5 percent, including multiple top-up taxes. Unlike most OECD countries, Portugal imposes a highly progressive tax structure on corporate income.
6 min read
Top Personal Income Tax Rates in Europe, 2024
Denmark (55.9 percent), France (55.4 percent), and Austria (55 percent) have the highest top statutory personal income tax rates among European OECD countries.
3 min read
Mind the Gap, Please! How Portugal Could Reform Its VAT System
Portugal’s value-added tax (VAT) policy is a treasure trove of tax oddities. Thankfully, VAT base broadening is an ideal instrument to give the Portuguese government the fiscal room to implement pro-growth tax reforms
5 min read
VAT Rates in Europe, 2024
A few European countries have made changes to their VAT rates, including the Czech Republic, Estonia, Switzerland, and Turkey.
3 min read
European Tax Policy Scorecard: How Competitive is Ukraine’s Tax System Relative to EU Member States?
In the end, the best way for the EU to support Ukraine’s post-war recovery is to guarantee its tax sovereignty, not just its territorial sovereignty.
5 min read
Risks to Worldwide Investment as Capital Allowances Began to Phase Out in 2023
Rather than adopt temporary policies that phase out and expire, policymakers should focus their efforts on long-term reforms to support investment.
5 min read
Full Expensing to Be Made Permanent in the United Kingdom
The policy will likely raise GDP by 0.9 percent, investment by 1.5 percent, and wages by 0.8 percent, relative to a return to the pre-2021 law.
3 min read
Comparing Europe’s Tax Systems: Individual Taxes
Estonia has the most competitive individual tax system in the OECD for the 10th consecutive year.
2 min read
Movers and Shakers in the International Tax Competitiveness Index
The 2023 version of the International Tax Competitiveness Index is the 10th edition of the report. Let’s take a look back and see how country ranks have changed over time.
5 min read
How Well Do Carbon Taxes Match Their Promise? A New Proposed Metric
While existing carbon taxes are a step towards the right direction in addressing climate change and incentivizing reductions in emissions, there is considerable room for improvement to reach the ideal theoretical carbon tax model.
59 min read
Comparing Europe’s Tax Systems: Corporate Taxes
According to the corporate tax component of the 2023 International Tax Competitiveness Index, Latvia and Estonia have the best corporate tax systems in the OECD.
2 min read
European Tax Policy Scorecard: Capital Cost Recovery under BEFIT versus Current Member State Policies
A harmonized EU tax base is a project in the making. Policymakers have a chance to put the Union on a path for increased investment and economic growth by focusing on the details of capital cost recovery.
3 min read
2023 European Tax Policy Scorecard
The variety of approaches to taxation among European countries creates a need to evaluate these systems relative to each other. For that purpose, we have developed the European Tax Policy Scorecard—a relative comparison of European countries’ tax systems.
52 min read
CCCTB vs. BEFIT: How Have the Proposals Changed?
If the EU is going to harmonize its tax base, it should do so in a way that increases the efficiency and competitiveness of tax policy for the EU as a whole, and not just seek out the lowest common denominator.
5 min read
International Tax Competitiveness Index 2023
While there are many factors that affect a country’s economic performance, taxes play an important role. A well-structured tax code is easy for taxpayers to comply with and can promote economic development while raising sufficient revenue for a government’s priorities.
88 min read
Real Property Taxes in Europe
High property taxes levied not only on land but also on buildings and structures can discourage investment in infrastructure, which businesses would have to pay additional tax on.
2 min read