US Has Most Progressive Tax System in OECD, New Index Shows
A study from the Fraser Institute finds the US tax code is highly progressive relative to other OECD countries.
7 min read
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VAT Exemption Thresholds in Europe, 2026
Worldwide, 175 countries—including all major European countries—levy a value-added tax (VAT) on goods and services. However, to reduce compliance and administrative costs, most countries have VAT exemption thresholds: if a business is below a certain annual revenue threshold, it is not required to participate in the VAT system.
3 min read
Don’t Blame the Messenger—the CBO—for Our Current Fiscal Problems
Publicly held debt is projected to rise to a new record high of 106 percent of GDP within the next four years and continue to rise to 120 percent by 2036 and 175 percent by 2056.
8 min read
Can Tax Reform Solve the Debt Problem—or Just Slow It?
This study simulates several large tax increases and consistently finds that even tax increases large enough to close the primary deficit in the near term will lose ground over time and fail to put the debt on a sustainable course.
41 min read
Shifting Germany’s Tax Burden from Labor to Consumption Requires a Broad VAT Base
Shifting Germany’s tax mix away from labor to consumption remains a sound policy route to strengthen the country’s labor supply, but further eroding the VAT base with preferential rates for selected goods and services would counteract this goal by depleting the extra revenue for labor tax cuts while providing less-targeted relief for low-income households.
6 min read
Tariffs by Another Name: How Discriminatory Taxes on Cross-Border Services Threaten America’s Export Edge
The US, as the world’s largest services exporter, has a stronger interest in combating discriminatory services taxation than in pursuing tariffs.
44 min read
Ideas, Not Mandates: Lessons Learned from a Decade of International Tax Reform
The past decade’s record suggests that countries have reliable legislative methods to improve their tax systems through ordinary tax reforms.
22 min read
How Smart Policy Can Unlock VAT’s Revenue Potential
Closing the EU’s value-added tax (VAT) actionable policy gap could yield €773 billion in government revenue—four times the EU’s 2026 budget.
8 min read
Cigarette Taxes in Europe, 2026
Cigarette smokers in the European Union pay far more in excise taxes than they do for the cigarettes themselves. Our latest map illustrates the wide variance in cigarette excise taxes across EU Member States.
6 min read
Should We Tax Artificial Intelligence?
AI is everywhere, and now it’s in the tax policy debate.
FAQs About Border Adjustment
What is a border adjustment? Is it a new idea? How would it work in practice?
11 min read
2025 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.
55 min read
Poland Considering a Second Harmful Digital Tax
Poland is proposing to broaden and raise its digital services tax (DST) from 1.5 percent to 3 percent. Because DSTs tax revenues, not profits, a company with a 10 percent profit margin would face a 30 percent effective tax rate on digital services provided in Poland.
6 min read
Lessons From European Geoeconomics & The Future Of International Tax Policy
European policymakers would be wise to refocus tax and trade policies on what is good for Europe rather than trying to change policies in countries beyond European borders. Meanwhile, the Trump administration would be wise to recognize that the transatlantic relationship is a geoeconomic asset that can be mutually beneficial.
Three Global Tax Policy Ideas in Need of a Reality Check
Formulary apportionment, global tax harmonization, and broad tax increases on services all face design, implementation, and economic barriers. When designing tax systems, policymakers should focus on doing the basic things well and avoid harmful policies that could stunt growth.
7 min read
When Taxing AI, Don’t Reinvent the Wheel
AI technology has a wide range of potential economic outcomes. It would be a mistake to tailor tax policy to the extreme end of that range. Still, policymakers shouldn’t do nothing: they should instead make tax reforms that are sound regardless of which AI scenario emerges.
7 min read
The EU’s Questionable VAT Policy
The value-added tax (VAT) compliance gap—the additional VAT revenue that could be collected if all taxpayers, consumers, and businesses fully complied with VAT rules—continues to increase, reaching €128 billion in 2023.
8 min read
VAT Rates in Europe, 2026
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
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
Movers and Shakers in the International Tax Competitiveness Index
For the past 12 years, the International Tax Competitiveness Index has examined which countries have truly embraced tax competitiveness and which ones have lagged behind. Our experts examine how country rankings have changed over time and identify the largest movers and shakers.
5 min read