Within Europe differentiated rates structures date back to the introduction of VAT itself. Evidence as regards the negative consequences of applying multiple rates has been apparent for some decades. Since the late 1980s, therefore, there have been several attempts to amend European rates...

The proliferation of exempt supplies in VAT systems, particularly the traditional European VAT, undermines the integrity of the tax in many respects. Exempt supplies bear a tax burden equal to the input tax imposed along the supply chain up to the exempt supply. This leads to overtaxation of...