Leading German Union wants to take 10 per cent of assets of the ‘super rich’
Germany faces significant budgetary challenges, including high energy costs, defence spending needs, and the costs of the green transition.
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Popular articles tagged "tax rises"
‘Total failure’: Leading economists tear into German federal budget
Several high-ranking German economists have expressed scorn and criticism of Germany’s federal budget plan for 2026 to 2030.
In France, left-wing city officials raise pay, right-wing ones cut it
In Roubaix, the poorest city in France, where almost half the population lives below the poverty line (€1,288 per month), left-wing Mayor David Guiraud of La France…
Germany rakes in €500 million extra from fuel tax in March – but still no tax cuts
The rocketing prices for petrol and diesel are proving a boon for Germany's finance minister.
Fuel crisis: Governments and private sector profit while workers pay price
The European Union is witnessing growing fuel chaos as a temporary ceasefire in the Iran conflict, and the partial reopening of the Strait of Hormuz briefly eased…
Opposition leader says personal income tax in Spain can drop if government would steal less
Alberto Núñez Feijóo, leader of Spain’s main opposition People’s Party (PP), has promised to cut personal income tax from the first year of a future PP government.
Swiss vote to enshrine use of cash in Constitution, end tax penalty for married couples
Swiss citizens have voted on several contentious issues in four nationwide referenda – approving a constitutional right to use cash, ending tax penalties for married…
Dutch Government bows to pressure over controversial tax on unrealised gains
Dutch finance minister Eelco Heinen has announced a dramatic reversal of the recently approved -- and passionately opposed -- Box 3 tax reform.
High tobacco taxes risk fueling illicit trade and undermining health goals, EESC says
The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) has cautioned that abrupt or excessive increases in excise duties on tobacco and nicotine products could drive…
German tax revenue jumps to €1bn record high as economy languishes
The combined tax income of Germany’s federal administration, its states and municipalities surpassed the mark of €1 billion for the first time ever last year,…
Industry leaders warn EU over sweeping tobacco tax hikes
A coalition of international tobacco sector companies, including packaging, transport and agriculture, has issued a strong warning to the European Commission.
Ryanair to cut 1m passengers from Belgium over doubling of aviation tax
Irish airline Ryanair will cut more than one in five flights in Belgium in response to the Belgian Government's decision to double aviation tax to €10 per passenger…
French Socialists want to force ‘rich’ to lend interest-free to the State
Three French Socialist senators have tabled an amendment to the 2026 Finance Bill that would compel high-income households to provide interest-free loans to the…
German SDP wants to jack up estate taxes for families
Germany’s Social Democratic Party (SPD) is pushing for more tax revenue from estate taxes.
German finance minister demands tax hikes as social expenditure rockets
Germany’s finance minister has proposed raising income and estate taxes to cover the country’s ballooning budget deficit.
Ryanair says dropping three French airports over ‘harmful’ tax
Irish airline Ryanair said on July 30 it was dropping three French airports over a "harmful" tax hike on air tickets and urged Paris to change course.
EU tobacco reforms face delays as tax debate heats up
The European Union's long-awaited review of the Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) is now expected to conclude in mid-2026, yet another delay in one of the bloc’s…
EU wants tobacco tax to fund own budget, Sweden says ‘Nej’
Swedish finance Minister Elisabeth Svantesson has come out aggressively against Brussels' new Tobacco Tax Directive, calling it “completely unacceptable”.
France rejects tax hike for ultra-rich; art forger sentenced for duping wealthy
France's Senate rejected a draft law to make the ultra-rich pay at least a 2 per cent tax on their fortunes, as the government sought to cut an alarming deficit.
More taxes on tobacco? The EC needs to leave our personal pleasures alone
The European Commission, under Commissioner for Climate Wopke Hoekstra, is preparing to overhaul the 2011 Tobacco Excise Tax Directive.
Irish coalition buckles, vows to continue carbon tax hikes
Members of Ireland's new coalition government have reversed their criticism of carbon tax policies, undertaking instead to continue the regular increase in the highly-unpopular…
Mega-salaries German state broadcasters sue for higher household TV tax
German public broadcasters ARD and ZDF have appealed to the country’s Constitutional Court to raise the fees citizens need to pay for their operations.
Work one day for free, French asked in latest budget plan
France's national budget is so strained that lawmakers are pushing a proposal to make the French work an extra seven hours each year without pay - the equivalent…
UK budget: Finance minister hikes taxes to highest in 30 years, boosts defence spending
Britain's new finance minister Rachel Reeves has announced the biggest tax increases in three decades in her first budget and pledged to boost UK defence spending.
UK budget D-Day: Finance minister Reeves looks set to light blue touchpaper
Britain's new finance minister Rachel Reeves is set announce what may be the biggest tax hikes in three decades in a bid to fix the country's sagging public services,…
‘Tax the rich’: French MPs approve billionaire levy
French MPs have approved a leftist-backed amendment to increase tax on billionaires as part of the country’s budget proposal.
Germany’s SPD plotting ‘wealth tax’ amid financial problems
Germany's ruling Social Democratic Party (SPD) is plotting the introduction of a wealth tax on assets amidst the country's worsening economic situation, local news…
France’s belt-tightening budget aimed at reining in debt, finance minister says
France's belt-tightening budget will attempt to regain control over the country's "colossal" debt burden, Finance Minister Antoine Armand has said.
Kyiv raises taxes to sustain its war effort
Facing increasing difficulties in paying for its war with Russia, Ukraine has proposed raising its income taxes by between 1.5 and 5 percentage points.
UK non-doms and vapers hit under Hunt’s taxation budget proposals
Britain's finance minister Jeremy Hunt said he would abolish a so-called "non-dom" status that let residents, including those in European Union countries, avoid…