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...

The report is prepared jointly by DG ECFIN and DG TAXUD of the European Commission. As the previous edition, the report analyses recent trends in tax revenues and tax reforms in EU Member States. A particular focus of this year's edition is on the consequences of the global economic and...

The European Commission services published a staff working document assessing the Financial Transactions Tax (FTT) and the Financial Activities Tax (FAT).

The European Commission has asked Copenhagen Economics to undertake a study on the tax elasticity and semi-tax elasticity of various tax bases that could fall under the taxation of the financial sector. The study will be focused on bringing forward all empirical studies that have analysed how...

the Commission has instructed PwC to provide a review of the current tax provisions directed at the Financial Sector and financial instruments. The content of the Study is limited to the questions raised by the Commission in the questionnaires provided and is subject to certain limitations in...

The paper surveys the literature on environmental taxation in the context of the climate change problem. It reviews the use of taxes as instruments of environmental management and notes the strengths and weaknesses of the applications. The performance of taxes relative to permits depends on the...

For more than half a century, scholars and international agencies have been making recommendations about taxation in developing countries. The advice economists have offered to developing countries has changed over time, particularly regarding income and consumption taxes. Why? What do we know...

The “smartest” development policy needs to be underpinned by “smart” tax policy. However, the best tax policy in the world is worth little if it cannot be implemented effectively. What can be done, to a considerable extent, inevitably determines what is done. Increasing tax revenues...

This paper analyzes whether marginal taxation of labor and capital income might be useful second best instruments for internalizing the externalities caused by conspicuous housing consumption, when the government is unable to implement a first best corrective tax on housing wealth. The rationale...

This study investigates whether excess effort to climb a career ladder justifies policy interventions. The answer depends on whether the government is able to levy a higher tax burden on career workers than on non-career workers. Both a tax on top income aimed at lowering the rewards of...