100 posts
If fiscal conservatives can't win in the US, can they win anywhere?
NEW
These are awkward times to be a Right-of-Centre candidate. Many voters believe they are living through a crisis of capitalism. They blame the credit crunch on lack of regulation. They believe the deficit should be filled by taxing the bankers who, th...
'Eurocrats' 5.5 per cent tax cut is 'out of touch'
NEW
Officials in the EU will receive a 5.5 per cent tax cut in January - an object lesson on how to appear out of touch, arrogant and against the interests of all European citizens during these austere times - warns Derek Clark MEP...
Tax Evasion: Examples from Georgia
NEW
In an interesting article in Der Spiegel, it is stated that the new tax burdens promoted by the Greek government and the Troika result in extracting much more wealth from the middle or lower income families than from the richer ones. True story if yo...
A belated repercussion of the French revolution
NEW
The French government is planning to raise taxes on beer by some 160%...
"Flat Tax Hungary: Born of Tension and Division" by Carl Rowlands
NEW
Some people are getting excited about paying tax. They’re salivating at the prospect of European Transaction Tax, which, though continuing to face opposition from the UK under both Labour and Conservative governments, is widely seen as a just w...
The tax avoidance questions asked by hypocrite ‘tax avoidance’ MP
NEW
A government minister who attacked Ken Livingstone over his tax arrangements belongs to a firm engaging in, erm, tax breaks. Tory MP Stephen Hammond failed to declare his involvement in Harwood Film Partnership in the parliamentary register of membe...
Greece is not alone – tax evasion is a British problem too | Richard Murphy
NEW
A Greek journalist has published the names of those with secret Swiss bank accounts. HMRC has its own list, but no one has come to court so farGreece is in a tax evasion crisis. Using a variety of sources I estimated earlier this year that 27.5% of i...
Imagine tax was voluntary.
NEW
Here’s a mad idea. Absolutely loopy. Crazy. There is an air of The Emperor’s New Clothes about a lot of what is debated in this country. Many demand that the government fund additional spending on various worthy causes, yet there is lit...
Gareth Epps on Fairer Tax
NEW
The Liberal Democrats are currently carrying out a consultation on tax and admirably it really is a consultation, in that views are being sought not only at the national level (for example at last month’s Federal Conference in Brighton) but al...
The financial transaction tax faithful march on
NEW
Tomorrow will mark another milestone in the long meandering path towards a international financial transaction tax, otherwise known as the Tobin tax. What exactly will happen? Well the European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, will approve a...
Karl Lagerfeld tells the truth about Francoise Hollande
NEW
A proud idiot?This week's prize for the best European political statement goes to Paris/based German fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld, who was not afraid to speak out in an interview with the Spanish edition of Marie-Claire. This is what Lagerfel...
Background Notes on some Concepts discussed in the EMU Interim Report
NEW
Thursday, 18 October 2012 What could be the main functions of a fiscal capacity? A fiscal capacity could perform the following two functions: improve the absorption of country-specific economic shocks, through an...
Once a week, let’s give a single taxpayer back her money.
NEW
Let’s be honest. In Ireland, if you obey the law, pay your household charge and road tax and TV licence, you are regarded by many as a bit of a mug. Yet without those people, this country would not function, so here’s a thought. Let’...
Poland Proposes Royalty Tax on Gas, Oil
NEW
Poland's government proposed a new tax structure for its oil and gas sector Tuesday, which will be based on both the value of a given company's production volumes and its profits, with the total tax burden reaching 40% of gross profits.
VIDEO: Denmark's Fat Tax - Not Working?
NEW
When Denmark's fat tax came into effect last October it was praised by health advocates but a year on it's being hailed as a misadventure. What went wrong, and how will the government fill a hole in its coffers? Our man in Copenhagen, Malcolm Brabant...
Rejecting a Robin Hood tax would be a spectacular own goal | Max Lawson
NEW
The likely design of a European tax on financial transactions means it will be paid by the City even if the UK doesn't sign upThis week's announcement that at least 11 European countries will press ahead with a financial transaction tax has barely re...
New constitutional rights? Sure. Just put new taxes in too.
NEW
There have been some calls recently for socio-economic rights, like the right to housing or education to be inserted into the constitution. As it happens, that doesn’t actually bother me that much, save for the fact that the same people who ten...
Preemptive fiscal folly
NEW
It’s really hard to predict the eventual outcome of the fiscal cliff negotiations that will take place after the elections, but the media reports that there is little enthusiasm...
France, Germany push for scaled-down Tobin tax
NEW
Germany's Schäuble, left, and France's Moscovici sent the Tobin letters out this morning. First, it was going to be a global financial transactions tax – known among the cognoscenti as the Tobin tax – agreed by the Group of 20 major ec...
French elite are fleeing Paris, to live in Brussels 'tax haven'
NEW
Faced with increasing hostility at home, France's moneyed classes are taking flight to Belgium because they do not like either Hollande or Sarkozy, reports Justin Stares. Brussels, on the other hand, seems to cater for all of the needs of the rich...
French budget hikes taxes on wealthy and businesses
NEW
Socialist French President Francois Hollande has delivered on his promise to put the burden of closing the country's deficit on the wealthy...
"The Banks cost us Billions but we still hesitate to tax!" by Nessa Childers
NEW
Could you have imagined it? This is the kind of Europe we now have built for our children. We have seen the grotesquely overgrown financial sector destroy our economy, caused millions of Europeans to lose their jobs, handed our children billions of e...
Corporations and Political Debate: Taxation & Regulation
NEW
Under an American judicial doctrine, the corporation is a legal person, whose wealth translated into political influence is speech protected by the first Amendment. It is no matter that the corporation is an artifice constructed by the state for econ...
Interviewed by M6 Regarding Larry Flynt's $1,000,000 Reward for Info on Mitt Romney's Taxes
NEW
I was interviewed by the M6 evening news program regarding Larry Flynt (in view of the Hustler honcho's million-dollar reward for any information on Mitt Romney's taxes), between 13:17 and 15:15. (If you are wondering about "1945", it refers to...
“Tarantula,” the UBS tax grass, lands $104m
NEW
The story of Bradley Birkenfeld, the man who blew the whistle on UBS’s tax dodging schemes to the Department of Justice in the US, is very odd.Freshly released from prison,...
Is Bernard Arnault really seeking Belgian citizenship to avoid tax? | Richard Murphy
NEW
Headlines about flight of French 'wealth creators' fit a rightwing narrative, but it's worth taking a closer look at the factsBernard Arnault, the fourth richest man in the world, and the richest man in France as a result of the wealth he has made fr...
A senator speaks sense (shock horror!)
NEW
I was at a social event recently where I met a veteran senator who was railing against the unfairness of the proposed property tax. I was ready to dismiss him as yet another populist panderer when he shocked me by suggesting, quite unprompted, an alt...
Evidence from Switzerland suggests that cooperation might limit tax competition between regions.
NEW
One of the byproducts of the EU’s single market is the strengthening of tax competition between member states, where countries compete for investment through lowering taxation levels. Using evidence from Switzerland’s 26 cantons, Fabrizio Gilardi...
Securities as instuments of tax evasion – Ukraine
NEW
Well who would have thought it? Banks and financial instruments being used to avoid tax! Well yes, we all would have thought it. We’ve all got fairly used to the idea that banks, financial markets and financial instruments are not the bastion...
How the Dutch state is stealing from itself
NEW
Even though this story has no obvious European dimension – other than a bit of international tax competition – I think it is interesting enough to be worth cross-posting here. As explained yesterday, I managed to get all of Dutch politic...
The Future of Fat Taxes after Denmark's withdrawal of its fiscal scheme
NEW
Less than one year after introducing its ‘fat tax’ scheme, Denmark is widely expected to scrap the tax. Unfortunately, politics rather than an evidence-based policy assessment loom behind such an outcome.
The Future of Fat Taxes after Denmark's withdrawal of its fiscal scheme
NEW
Less than one year after introducing its ‘fat tax’ scheme, Denmark is widely expected to scrap the tax. Unfortunately, politics rather than an evidence-based policy assessment loom behind such an outcome.
Tax Service statements are as unclear as the tax laws it seem
NEW
The Ukrainian tax laws, whilst recently revamped and somewhat easier to follow than they once were, are still a labyrinth set with multiple traps for the unwary. That said, there is a very large proportion of Ukrainian society that simply ignore the...
Fortuna Threatens to Leave Czech Republic if Gambling Tax Stays in Place
NEW
The steady stream of tax increases implemented by the Czech government of right-leaning Prime Minister Petr Necas is facing more criticism and could lead to companies that currently pay taxes domestically offshoring to tax havens.
Steuergeld im Kaffeebecher
NEW
Es ist manchmal nicht zu glauben, auf was wir alles Steuern zahlen müssen. Selbst auf den Inhalt der morgendlichen Tasse Kaffee erhebt der Fiskus Anspruch. Schon seit einiger Zeit läuft deshalb eine Initiative mit dem Ziel, die Kaffeesteuer abzuset...
Blogs review: The gains from fundamental tax reforms
NEW
Authors: Jérémie Cohen-Setton, Owen ZidarWhat’s at stake: Greg Mankiw recently highlighted a John Diamond study, which finds that a base-broadening, rate-reducing, Romney type tax plan would increase GDP relative to baseline by 5.4 percentage poi...
"US 2012 – Mitt’s 13%Tax" by Robert Reich
NEW
Mitt Romney says “every year I’ve paid at least 13 percent [of my income in taxes] and if you add in addition the amount that goes to charity, why the number gets well above 20 percent.” This is supposed to be in defense of not releasing his t...
Deciphering UK Window Tax The History Of An Ancient Taxation System
NEW
This essay that could go by the heading UK window tax the history of an ancient taxation system studies a system of taxation used in ancient times whose calculation criterion was the count of windows on a premise. Its introduction was precipitated by...
Another Czech VAT Rise Likely Despite Concerns
NEW
A sales taxes increase is likely to pass eventually into law as the recession-hit Czech Republic seeks to try and boost state revenue while keeping the coalition government together ahead of autumn elections.
Referendums may help to reduce tax evasion by fostering greater tax morale amongst citizens.
NEW
In several countries affected by the on-going Euro-crisis, tax collection is patchy and likely contributes to economic problems. In a comparative study of countries engaged in transitions from communist rule to democracy and market economies, Simon H...
Tax havens 'a drain' on scarce financial resources
NEW
Tax havens not only promote large scale tax evasion across the globe, but can have a devastating impact on emerging economies that do not have the necessary resources to mitigate the loss of revenue, writes Sophia Garfield...
U.S. Fiscal Policy: Avoiding Self-Inflicted Wounds
NEW
In late 2012 or early 2013 the U.S. federal government will again reach a statutory borrowing limit and will not be able to issue additional debt. Why is this a problem? First, because the federal government is spending considerably more than it coll...
Czech Officials at odds Over Impact of Tax Increases
NEW
The Czech government's efforts to increase tax revenues via sales tax increases this year and next are now pitting the finance ministry against the central bank.
Introducing the Financial Transaction Tax
NEW
France is the first member-state of the European Union to introduce the Financial Transaction Tax to all publicly trade businesses with market value over 1 billion euros. Is this finally a strategic decision with long-term results for public finance...
Mitt Romney’s tax plan: cuts for the rich, hikes for the poor
NEW
Following on from the, erm, resounding success of his foreign tour, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has revealed his plans for the US tax code — and surprise surprise the top 5% of Americans would see their taxes slashed by some
Offshore centres
NEW
One of the big challenges of international financial regulation is the existence of offshore financial centres. Concerns focus on money laundering, financing of terrorism and the hiding of fortunes of kleptocratic rulers. A recent study for the Tax J...
Tax-Exile Hell
NEW
You know, it can be a tough life when you happen to have a lot of money at your disposal. Just ask Mitt Romney. Or nose around a bit in Geneva: #Economie – Des fortunes de France vivraient l’enfer à Genève: Un reportage sur les...
What’s Yours is Theirs’
NEW
L’Express’ personal fiance section runs down a list of things that will come under taxation assault in France. Painful and economically stupefying as they are, they don’t appear to produce much in the way of receipts.Unearned income of all typ...
A warning for fiscal federalism
NEW
The financial crisis claims another victim. The Californian city of San Bernardino is going bankrupt. Its liabilities are rising but its revenues are not, with the result predicted by Mr Micawber. There is a lesson to be learned. Not the obviou...
EU pensioners don’t “dodge” taxes
NEW
Re: Eurocrats told: keep dodging taxes (Daily Express, 10th July 2012) Whilst the Daily Express (10 July) correctly points out EU officials pay an EU community tax which starts at “just eight per cent” rather than paying national taxes,...
NS does a Jimmy Carr
NEW
Sometimes the most newsworthy piece of information in a newspaper report comes all the way at the end. Yesterday, for example, the Railway Gazette informed its readers that the Dutch historic railway operator NS was commissioning a couple of dozen ne...
Eric Pickles flies flag for notorious tax haven outside his department
NEW
Eric Pickles was flying the flag of premier tax haven the Cayman Islands outside his Department for Communities and Local Government yesterday. The flag was flown to celebrate the national day of the Cayman Islands — coinciding with Vanity...
