Slovakia’s new government has finally succumbed to the Sweet Tax Temptation, as we called it in our last publication. The Ministry of Finance has published a preliminary announcement describing its intention to introduce the tax. You read that right; it is not the Ministry of Health that is in charge of the health of the population and the sustainability of health spending.
Lithuania ranked ninth in the International Tax Competitiveness Index 2023. This country ranked eighth last year and fourth in 2019. Why is it sliding down instead of finally rising up the pedestal? The International Tax Competitiveness Index assesses tax systems on their simplicity, transparency, neutrality – i.e., fairness to specific activities and income levels – and stability.
The narrative of excess profits that recently sparked in public discussions in Lithuania was not accidental. Initially, business companies had been suspected of profiting from inflation. Then suspicions of undeserved profits hit banks. And here we are – digesting a proposal from the government to impose a special windfall tax on banks.
While the state does need to find new revenues, there will not be any substantive debate on taxation over the next four months, new Finance Minister Annely Akkermann (Reform) says.
Last July, the European Commission presented a proposal for a directive aimed at reforming the taxation of energy products and electricity. This proposal is part of the European Union’s (EU) efforts to reduce emissions and air pollution.
This year’s Tax Freedom Day fell on June 25, and this year the state will redistribute 48 percent of what we produce. Last year we announced that we would have to revise for the first time ever, but in the end it was not necessary. The economic downturn was smaller than expected, and so, too, was the redistribution eventually.
The front pages of many Polish newspapers and news portals as well as the screens of private TV stations remained black. In a joint action with the slogan “Media without a choice”, they protested against the plan of the government to introduce a tax on the advertising revenues of media companie
In the year of the COVID-19 crisis, Czechs must endure one more month of work for the state. After June 24, 2020, they will start earning money for themselves. Until then, for 175 days, they only work for the state. This is the least free year since 2000.
The majority of people around the world complain about taxes they have to pay. However, in the case of Poland, it is not only the size of the tax burden that poses a problem, but also complicated and unclear rules in place.
One of the most important problems of today’s liberals and libertarians is how to translate the idea of liberty into a possible realization that would bring at least a bit of freedom. Nowadays, in a world of sophisticated systems of taxation and welfare states, it is very easy to make a mistake.
