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
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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
Integrated Tax Rates on Corporate Income in Europe, 2025
In most European OECD countries, corporate income is taxed twice, once at the entity level and once at the shareholder level.
4 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
Policy Brief: QDMTTs Leave Geographic Disparity Between Increased Pillar Two Costs and Revenues
Due to the incentive for jurisdictions to implement a qualified domestic minimum top-up tax (QDMTT), Pillar Two leaves a geographic asymmetry. Additional tax revenues would predominantly accrue to low-tax jurisdictions, with high tax jurisdictions receiving little to no increase.
2 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
Pillar Two Implementation in Europe, 2025
22 of the 27 EU Member States have implemented both the income inclusion rule and the qualified domestic minimum top-up tax in 2025.
4 min read
OECD Pillar Two Compliance Costs: A Quantitative Assessment for EU-Headquartered Groups
New evidence shows the scale and distribution of compliance costs for EU firms affected by Pillar Two, i.e., the “Global Minimum Tax.”
6 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
Testimony: Digital Services Taxes in the European Union
Since digital services taxes deliver limited revenue, shift the burden to European consumers, and risk provoking trade disputes, it’s time for policymakers to rethink their approach.
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
Savings and Investment: The Tax Treatment of Stock and Retirement Accounts in OECD and EU Countries
Tax-preferred private retirement accounts often have complex rules and limitations. Universal savings accounts could be a simpler alternative—or addition—to many countries’ current system of private retirement savings accounts.
23 min read
Fiscal Forum: Future of the EU Tax Mix with Dr. Jean-Philippe van West
Sean Bray interviews Dr. Jean-Philippe van West, Professor of International and European tax law at Vrije Universiteit Brussel, about the future of the EU tax mix.
10 min read
Real Property Taxes in Europe, 2025
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.
3 min read