Bertelsmann Stiftung

04.10.2017, Europa Briefing: European taxes: Do we need them?

In the European Union, each member state is responsible for its tax system. Different national regimes help with tax competition, but can also lead to tax evasion or unfair rules in the Single Market. That is why better coordination or even standardisation of taxes is debated. What tax regulations are there already in the Single Market? What would be the advantages and disadvantages of a European tax? And what reforms are being discussed in Europe?

Contact Person

Dr. Katharina Gnath

Setting common tax rules in the EU is just as difficult as the introduction of the euro. But we will not get around a tax coordination, for example with lower limits, forever in the Single Market. Until then, a bottom-up harmonisation in selected areas appears to be the best strategy.

Dr. Anna auf dem Brinke, Jacques Delors Institut – Berlin

About our publication series “Europa Briefing”

In the publication series “Europa Briefing”, the Bertelsmann Stiftung and the Jacques Delors Institut – Berlin cover key topics of European politics and present possible scenarios: What is the problem? What might happen next? And what can politics do now?

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