European Commission ends probe into Hungary advertisement tax
The European Commission announced in a report on 26 July 2024 that it closed its in-depth investigation, which opened in March 2015, into the Hungarian advertisement tax. In November 2016, the Commission found that the Hungarian advertisement
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European Commission publishes 2024 Annual Report on Taxation
The European Commission unveiled the 2024 Annual Report on Taxation on 3 July 2024; the 2024 edition provides an update on the state of tax systems in the European Union's member states. It aims to inform the debate about: The developments
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WTO Trade Policy Review of EU
The WTO is reviewing the trade policies and practices of the EU on 5 and 7 June 2023. The WTO Secretariat has produced a report as a basis for the review. During the period under review the EU made progress on major policy initiatives including
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EU: European Commission Announces Proposals for Customs Reform
On 17 May 2023 the European Commission set out proposals for a reform of the EU Customs Union. The proposals are a response to the large increase in the volume of trade in recent years, the growth in e-commerce and the need to enforce EU trading
See MoreEU: European Commission Proposes Tax Allowance for Equity
On 11 May 2022 the European Commission put forward proposals for a tax allowance that would reduce the current tax advantage for debt over equity. This allowance would be designed to encourage businesses to access more equity financing and reduce
See MoreEU: Public Consultation on Minimum Rates of Alcohol Excise Duty
On 11 April 2022 the European Commission began a consultation on the minimum rates of alcohol excise duty in the EU. The consultation will continue until 4 July 2022. The consultation aims to gather the views of the relevant stakeholders on
See MoreEU: Pressure on member states to revise CBI/RBI schemes
Recently there has been increased pressure on European Union (EU) member states to scale back their schemes offering citizenship or residence in return for financial contributions. This reflects heightened security concerns in view of the current
See MoreEU: Joint European Action for Affordable and Sustainable Energy
On 8 March 2022 the European Commission issued a communication entitled REPowerEU: Joint European Action for more affordable, secure and sustainable energy. This document notes that the current geopolitical situation requires independence from
See MoreEU: European Parliament Adopts Resolution on Impact of National Tax Schemes
On 15 February 2022 the European Parliament adopted a resolution relating to the impact of national reforms on the economy of the European Union. Resolutions of the European Parliament are not binding on other EU institutions, but they call for
See MoreEU: Role of Environmental Taxation in Supporting the Transition to Sustainability
On 7 February 2022 the European Environment Agency (EEA) issued a briefing entitled The role of environmental taxation in supporting sustainability transitions. This examines trends in taxes on pollution, greenhouse gases and resource use and
See MoreEU: Auditors Review Energy Taxation and Carbon Pricing
A review published on 31 January 2022 by the European Court of Auditors entitled Energy Taxation, Carbon Pricing and Energy Subsidies notes that the EU countries tax and subsidise energy sources in a manner that contradicts their climate goals; and
See MoreEU: Proposed Directive on Global Minimum Tax
On 22 December 2021 the European Commission proposed a Directive to ensure that large multinational groups are subject to a global minimum effective tax rate. The proposal follows the terms of the international agreement on Pillar 2 of the OECD
See MoreEU: Commission Letter Comments on Common Corporate Tax
On 3 August 2021 a letter addressed to the European Parliament on behalf of the European Commission confirmed that the single corporate tax system for the EU, to be known as Business in Europe: Framework for Income Taxation (BEFIT), would take into
See MoreEU: Annual Report on Taxation 2021
On 18 May 2021 the European Union (EU) published the Annual Report on Taxation 2021 assessing progress made by EU Member States in aligning their tax policies with the EU’s tax priorities to promote innovation and productivity, encourage
See MoreEU: European Commission sets out future agenda for business taxation
On 18 May 2021 the European Commission adopted a Communication on Business Taxation for the 21st Century setting out its vision for supporting business during the economic recovery and achieving fairer taxation. Ensuring effective
See MoreEU: BASIC countries express concern at the proposed Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism
A Joint Statement issued on 8 April 2021 at the conclusion of the 30th BASIC Ministerial Meeting on Climate Change has expressed concern about the insufficiency and inadequacy of the support provided by developed countries; and is concerned that
See MoreEU: Sectoral Policies for Climate Change Mitigation
On 16 September 2016 the EU published a departmental paper entitled Sectoral Policies for Climate Change Mitigation in the EU. The paper examines climate mitigation policy in five sectors that in aggregate account for 95% of greenhouse gas
See MoreEU: Climate Mitigation Policy
On 16 September 2020 the European Union (EU) published on its website a departmental paper on EU Climate Mitigation Policy. The EU’s Emission Trading System (ETS) limits the total amount of emissions and allows participants to trade emission
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