Fiscal sustainability and economic growth are key concerns at the current juncture. The focus of tax policy has now shifted away from stimulus measures towards a much needed consolidation of public finances, made even more necessary in light of the difficulties currently faced by some Member...

This paper reviews to what extent Member States followed the tax policy priorities put forward by the European Commission in the Annual Growth Survey of November 2012: shifting taxation away from labour, broadening tax bases, reducing corporate tax debt bias and improving tax compliance. The...

This paper reviews the tax reforms implemented by EU Member States since the adoption of the first country-specific recommendations in the framework of the Europe 2020 strategy. Even though there is a need for more action, as evidenced by the number of tax recommendations, overall many Member...

Any assessment of the effects of a tax reform has to be based on indicators of effective taxation. Various indicators have been developed to measure the effective taxation of income from capital. This paper briefly reviews their properties, before turning to an evaluation of the effects of the...

The 2008 financial crisis is the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression of 1929. It has been characterised by a housing bubble in a context of rapid credit expansion, high risk-taking and exacerbated financial leverage, ending into deleveraging and credit crunch when the bubble burst....

This report contains a detailed statistical and economic analysis of the tax systems of the Member States of the European Union, plus Iceland and Norway, which are Members of the European Economic Area. The data are presented within a unified statistical framework (the ESA95 harmonised system of...

The overarching objective of the study carried out by London Economics is to examine whether the current structures of alcohol taxation and the minimum rates laid down for the various categories are adequately supporting the effective functioning of the internal market, or whether distortions...

The study examines current national practices with respect to emissions allowances in the EU and the countries with similar cap-and-trade systems. It analyses potential distortions resulting from national practices and identifies the best solutions. It deals with issues such as the tax treatment...

The study deals with the links between energy taxation and innovation and presents also new empirical evidence on the impact of energy taxes on patenting activities related to energy technologies. The study suggests that while taxation is a very effective driver of innovation, it can be usefully...

The objective of this external study is to provide more information about the extent of cross-border inheritance tax problems