| The video recording of the event is available here.
Paris, 16 May — Earlier this week, the EU Tax Observatory hosted its annual flagship event, “Competition or Cooperation? EU Tax Policies for Tomorrow,” in Brussels. The event brought together leading voices in European taxation to explore the future of corporate transparency, global tax fairness, and the role of enforcement in a fast-changing world.
The event featured dynamic panels and keynote addresses from leading policymakers, economists, and international experts. Discussions focused on how tax coordination can catalyze sustainable economic growth while promoting fairness, and explored the role of EU and global frameworks in enabling more effective and equitable cooperation.
Gerassimos Thomas, Director-General for Taxation and Customs Union, European Commission, opened the event by underscoring the EU Tax Observatory’s pivotal role in bringing taxation to the forefront of the policy agenda:
“There are a number of policies that will use tax measures. And I think in terms of instruments going forward, we will not only be looking at the legal aspects, but also at best practices in how we combine them into recommendations that work, and allow us to move quickly forward, without waiting, immediately for harmonization.”
(The full address is available here)
Wopke Hoekstra, European Commissioner for Climate, Net Zero and Clean Growth, shared a critical perspective on climate and taxation during a fireside chat with Financial Times reporter Paola Tamma:
“The EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) absolutely has been the game changer, the most impactful thing we have done in terms of the climate policy, market-based in the European Union, full stop. And it is not just us who are convinced of the logic of that system. More and more countries are embarking on a system that is very much the same, they’re pricing carbon, they’re starting up carbon markets.”
(The full address is available here)
Pasquale Tridico, Chair of the European Parliament’s Subcommittee on Tax Matters and a Member of the European Parliament from Italy, reflected on the political dimension of taxation and the need for an evidence-based approach:
“Taxation is, and has always been, deeply political, and that’s fair. But political choices must be grounded in evidence and stronger theory, if we are to achieve fiscal justice.”
(The full address is available here)
Benjamin Angel, Director of ‘Direct taxation, tax coordination, economic analysis and evaluation’ at the European Commission, underscored the need to scrutinize tax policy choices more closely:
“As a part of the fight against the tax gap, we also need to have a better understanding of the policy gap. That is one that is deliberately created by measures narrowing the tax base paid for the corporate income tax, but also for other taxes.
…I’m not saying that the existing measures are bad by construction, but when you take measures to cut the tax base, what is key is to do regular health checks — making sure that the reason at the origin of the decision is still valid and that there is still value for money.
…Too often, decisions are taken and are not revisited.”
(The full address is available here)
A powerful perspective came from Marlene Engelhorn, activist, philanthropist, and heiress of the BASF family, who advocated for democratic redistribution of untaxed wealth:
“I gave away nearly 100% of my inheritance because it should have been taxed. Since it wasn’t, I invited those affected by wealth and power into the decision, paid them for their work, and used a citizens’ assembly — the closest democratic tool to actual taxation.”
(The full address is available here)
Gabriel Zucman, Director of the EU Tax Observatory, pushed the debate forward:
“The solution is very simple: since the income tax doesn’t work, you need to supplement it. You need to top up the income tax. You need a minimum tax for the super-rich. To be effective, this minimum tax cannot be expressed as a function of income, because the notion of income is not well defined. For the super-rich, the minimum tax has to be expressed as a function of wealth.”
(The full address is available here)
Several members of the EU Tax Observatory took part in panel discussions throughout the event. Sarah Godar contributed insights on Multinationals: Changing Forms of Tax Competition in Corporate Taxes, while Quentin Parrinello addressed Wealth: Unfair Tax Competition Driving Tax Progressivity Down at the Top. Pierre Bachas participated in the discussion on The Role of Tax Enforcement in a Competitive World.
The event concluded with the Young Researcher Award presented to David Leite, whose paper reveals how firm owners in Portugal shift personal consumption to their companies, costing the government up to 1% of GDP in lost tax revenues. 📄 Read the paper: https://lnkd.in/drraNTjb
🎥 Full video recordings of all panels and keynotes are available here. |
