Top Personal Income Tax Rates in Europe, 2026
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
All Related Articles
New York Should Be Cautious About Governor’s Near-Sighted Budget
Although New York’s 2027 budget proposal avoids tax increases on income, sales, and property taxes, it is full of policy proposals that threaten the long-run integrity of the state’s finances and harm New York taxpayers.
5 min read
Evaluating Washington’s Proposed Millionaires’ Tax
Washington lawmakers are holding their first hearing on long-anticipated legislation that would create a new 9.9 percent tax on income over $1 million.
6 min read
The State Income Tax Divergence
Lawmakers in many states continue to pursue additional income tax relief, while their counterparts elsewhere pursue the opposite goal.
3 min read
The Federal Payroll Tax: A Primer
With changes to payroll taxes likely to be part of a toolkit for reform, both policymakers and the public would benefit from understanding how the payroll tax works, who pays it, and its impact on the economy.
21 min read
Two Virginia Income Tax Proposals Would Make the State Less Affordable
Should both HB 979 and HB 378 pass, Virginia would have the nation’s highest top marginal rate on investment income.
8 min read
Nonresident Income Tax Filing and Withholding Laws by State, 2026
One area of the tax code in which extreme complexity and low compliance go hand-in-hand—and where reform is desperately needed—is in states’ nonresident individual income tax filing and withholding laws.
9 min read
The Next Tax Reform Should Build on Sound Tax Policy and Simplify the Tax Code
The tax code is ripe for simplification, especially as complicated and targeted provisions expire in 2028.
4 min read
New CEA Report Dramatically Underestimates the Cost of Replacing State Income Taxes
While the CEA’s analysis of the benefits of reduced reliance on income taxes is sound, its revenue replacement estimates are not. The actual revenue replacement rate could be as high as 17.51 percent.
6 min read
Yes, You’re Getting a Bigger Tax Refund. But That’s Not the Whole Story.
Economic policy in 2025 came with historic highs but also disappointing lows.
A 9.25 Percent Top Income Tax Rate Would Drive Jobs, Investment, and Economic Opportunity Out of Michigan
Michigan’s proposed 5 percent income surtax on high earners, yielding a top marginal rate of 9.25 percent, is also a tax on the small businesses that employ nearly 2 million Michiganders.
25 min read
Cut the Income Tax, Not Taxes on Tips and Overtime
Though politically popular, “no tax on tips and overtime” is a short-sighted gimmick that risks derailing West Virginia’s path to prosperity.
Tax Refunds and the One Big Beautiful Bill Act
When taxpayers file their 2025 tax returns in 2026, many will see larger refunds than in recent years. That’s due to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), which reduced individual income taxes for 2025 by an estimated $129 billion.
4 min read
The Proposed California Wealth Tax Is Far Higher than 5 Percent
The 2026 Billionaire Tax Act, a California ballot initiative, would ostensibly impose a one-time tax of 5 percent on the net worth of the state’s billionaires. Due, however, to aggressive design choices and possible drafting errors, the actual rate on taxpayers’ net worth could be dramatically higher.
18 min read
Proposed Washington Income Tax Would Yield a Top Rate of More Than 18 Percent
A proposed “millionaire’s tax” in Washington State would yield the highest combined state and local top rate in the country.
6 min read
Sources of Personal Income, Tax Year 2022
As policymakers consider reforms to the individual income tax, understanding the types of income that make up the individual income tax base can help them understand the trade-offs of different changes to the tax system.
8 min read
How Scandinavian Countries Pay for Their Government Spending
Scandinavian countries are well known for their broad social safety nets and their public funding of services such as universal health care, higher education, parental leave, and child and elderly care. High levels of government spending naturally require high levels of taxation. So, how do these countries raise their tax revenues?
7 min read
2026 Tax Brackets
Explore the IRS inflation-adjusted 2026 tax brackets, for which taxpayers will file tax returns in early 2027.
5 min read
State Tax Changes Taking Effect January 1, 2026
Forty-three states will ring in 2026 with notable tax changes. Eight states will see reduced individual income tax rates in the new year while four states will see reduced corporate income tax rates.
30 min read
2025 Tax Review | What OBBBA Changed, the Impact of Tariffs, and What’s Next
In this episode, we break down what the OBBBA did, walk through our projections, and zoom out to other defining fights of 2025: Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs, the Supreme Court challenge over presidential tariff power, and the growing wave of property tax revolts across the states.