European Union (EU)

Tax Files under New Council of EU Presidency: Belgium

In such a determinant semester for Europe, principled tax policy can be an important tool for a more competitive European Union.

Spanish Regions Are Not Surrendering Their Tax Competitiveness without a Fight

Spain’s central government could learn some valuable lessons from its regional governments about sound tax policy.

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.

The Latest on the Global Tax Agreement

The agreement represents a major change for tax competition, and many countries will be rethinking their tax policies for multinationals.

Tax Reform Is Key to Ukraine’s Economic Health, Now and after the War

What historical lessons of wartime finance can Ukrainian and EU policymakers learn to put Ukraine’s economy on a path to success during, and especially after, the war?

Response to Treasury’s Request for Public Input on Pillar One

A multilateral agreement that eliminates digital services taxes would be valuable, but not if it introduces more complexity and leaves unanswered many questions about the impacts on the U.S. tax base.

Assessing the EU Tax Observatory’s View on Profit Shifting and the Global Minimum Tax

The EU Tax Observatory has taken an extreme view in assessing the global minimum tax. The rules were not meant to immediately reduce the stock of shifted profits or align profitability levels more closely with employment costs. The rules do change incentives for multinationals, but profits may continue to remain in low-tax jurisdictions for many years.

Is EU VAT Compliance Actually Improving?

While the European Commission focuses on improving VAT compliance, policy is a major contributor to VAT revenue losses. The VAT actionable policy gap is 15.65 percent, more than triple the compliance gap.

Comparing Europe’s Tax Systems: Individual Taxes

Estonia has the most competitive individual tax system in the OECD for the 10th consecutive year.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Five Takeaways from the New Pillar One Documents

The OECD recently released a trove of new documents on a draft multilateral tax treaty. The U.S. Treasury has opened a 60-day consultation period for the proposal and is requesting public review and input.

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.

Anti-Avoidance Policies in a Pillar Two World

The global minimum tax agreement known as Pillar Two is intended to curb profit shifting. However, OECD countries already have a variety of mechanisms in place that seek to prevent base erosion and profit shifting by multinational corporations.

2023 Spanish Regional Tax Competitiveness Index

The 2023 Spanish Regional Tax Competitiveness Index allows policymakers and taxpayers to evaluate and measure how their regions’ tax systems compare.

Cigarette Taxes in Europe

Tax Trends in European Countries

In recent years, European countries have undertaken a series of tax reforms designed to maintain tax revenue levels while protecting households and businesses from high inflation.