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Taxation
Hungary Wants Tax Treaty with Switzerland, Germany and Austria
Hungary tries to levy a lump sum tax on deposits of Hungarian nationals in Switzerland, Germany, Austria, the UK and Cyprus.
January 17, 2013
New Elections in Slovenia?
The government crisis in Slovenia sharpens. Economists warn of a leftist coalition.
January 15, 2013
Fekter to Present Tax Reform Concept
In May, Austria´s minister of finance Maria Fekter (ÖVP) will present a new fiscal concept.
January 14, 2013
Slovenia to Cut Corporate Tax Rate
In order to improve the labor market situation, the Slovenian government has decided cut the corporate tax quota by three percentage points.
January 9, 2013
Austria: Black Labor Decreases
Since 2004, the size of black labor is declining in Austria. Nine years ago, the share of GDP came at 11%: In 2012, black labor was 7.5% of GDP.
January 8, 2013
Poland Plans Bank Taxes
The Polish government considers introducing bank taxes in order to stabilize the banking sector.
January 4, 2013
„No Tax Reform Before 2016“
Christoph Leitl, President of the Austrian Chamber of Commerce, emphasizes that the government should focus on austerity measures.
January 4, 2013
Czech Parliament Resolves VAT Increase
After months of controversies, the Czech Chamber of Deputies approved the government´s taxation plans.
December 21, 2012
Switzerland Ratifies Tax Treaty with Austria
Switzerland has approved the tax deal with Austria and the UK. The treaty will come into force by January 2013.
December 20, 2012
Slovakia: Budget Deficit Comes at 4.6%
This year, the Slovak budget deficit is expected to be significantly beyond the Maastricht criteria.
December 20, 2012
Public Debt Committee Warns Austrian Government
2013 will be dangerous for Austria´s austerity course, the economist Bernhard Felderer says.
December 18, 2012
S&P Downgrades Croatia
Croatia´s Minister of Finance Slavko Linic does not exclude that Croatia needs support from the IMF next year.
December 17, 2012
Slovenia Sharpens Austerity Measures
The Slovenian Parliament resolved the budgets for 2013 and 2014. The country tries to fulfill the Maastricht criteria.
December 8, 2012
Fiscal Policy: OECD Warns Slovakia
OECD´s Secretary General Angel Gurria calls Slovakia to improve its fiscal efficiency. The tax collection must be professionalized, he says.
December 8, 2012
Slovakia: Tax Revenues Declining
This year, the Slovak government will record a decrease in tax intake by € 230m. Despite higher tax rates, the trend will continue in the next three years.
December 6, 2012
Slovakia: Flat Tax Replaced New Tax Model
After nine years, Slovakia abolishes the flat tax. Corporate profit tax was increased from 19% to 23%.
December 5, 2012
Serbian Government Emphasizes Austerity Policy
Next year, the Serbian budget deficit is expected to come at 3.3% of GDP. Until 2015, the deficit will be lowered further, the government says.
December 4, 2012
Hungary Considers Reducing Foreign Exchange Reserves
In order to repay loans, the Hungarian government is said to reduce the foreign exchange reserves of MNB (Hungarian National Bank). The government does not need to fear resistance by MNB.
December 1, 2012
“Eurozone On Stable Ground”
Austria´s Minister of Finance Maria Fekter is optimistic. Spain, Portugal and Ireland are making substantial progress. However, the crisis is not over yet, she notes.
December 1, 2012
„Property Taxes are Nonsense“
Austria´s Minister of Finance Maria Fekter reaffirms that property taxes must be prevented.
November 30, 2012
Hungary: Small Concession for Banking Industry
The banking sector in Hungary is under pressure. The government in Budapest decided to pay back debts of municipalities by the end of the year.
November 24, 2012
S&P Downgrades Hungary
The U.S. rating agency lowers Hungary´s sovereign debt rating from “BB+” to “BB”.
November 23, 2012
Croatia Plans to Introduce Property Taxes
Croatia´s Finance Minister Slavko Linic plans to introduce a property tax next year. The rate will come at 1.5%.
November 23, 2012
Austrian Industrial Federation Wants Higher VAT
Georg Kapsch, President of the Federation of Austrian Industries (I) calls for a VAT increase. The VAT rate remains unchanged at 20% of decades.
November 23, 2012
Austria: Majority Support Property Taxes
A clear majority of Austrian citizens think that the corporate tax rate should increase.
November 20, 2012
Serbian Government to Raise Corporate Tax
The austerity pressure forces the Serbian government to increase taxes. Serbia´s corporate tax will move from 10% to 15%.
November 20, 2012
Vienna: General Attractiveness Decreases
The quality of the Viennese business location deteriorates. The high degree of bureaucracy and the high non-wage labor costs are the most problematic issues.
November 16, 2012
Hungary: Head of Banking Association Resigns
The chairman of the Hungarian Banking Association Mihaly Patai steps down. He explains that the Hungarian state overburdens the banking sector.
November 13, 2012
Austria: Black Labor Costs € 3.5bn Per Year
The economist Friedrich Schneider explains that the size of black labor comes at € 19.6bn per year in Austria.
November 12, 2012
Slovenia Still Rules Out Calling for Rescue
The Slovenian government tries to prevent to be bailed out by the EU and IMF by all means. However, experts fear that Slovenia is the next candidate for the safety net.
November 10, 2012
Austria: Income Taxes on the Rise
Total wage tax revenue for 2011 rose by 6.0%, gross earnings by 3.6%. About 72% of the income taxes were paid by male workers.
November 8, 2012
Czech Government Overcomes Vote of Confidence
The majority of the members of the Czech Parliament approved the amended austerity program.
November 7, 2012
Future of Czech Government Uncertain
Although Prime Minister Petr Necas was confirmed as party leader of the governing ODS, the government is still threatened to collapse.
November 6, 2012
IHS: Collapse of Eurozone would Cost 157,000 Jobs
The Austrian Institute of Advances Studies IHS says that Austria´s economic growth would be lower by 11 percentage points until 2016.
November 5, 2012
Tax Quota: Austria Among Top Countries
Among 27 OECD countries, the Austria´s tax quota is the eight highest. For Austria, the trend goes upwards
October 24, 2012
Austria: No Tax Reform
The Austrian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Vice Chancellor Michael Spindelegger replies to Finance Minister Maria Fekter that a tax reform is not realistic now.
October 22, 2012
Austrian Tax Quota to Increase
Austria´s Finance Minister Maria Fekter expects a higher tax intake in 2013. Next year, the tax quota will grow slightly to 43%. In order to prevent further expenses, Fekter rejects creating bad banks.
October 20, 2012
Hungary Does not Exclude to Increase Bank Tax
Prime Minister Orban refers to the pressure coming from Brussels. Hungary must reduce the budget deficit below 3.0% of GDP.
October 20, 2012
Vienna Stock Exchange Wants Austrian Post to Become Privatized
Birgit Kuras, CEO of Vienna Stock Exchange, wants the Austrian state to reduce its 53% stake in Austrian Post.
October 19, 2012
RBI: We Will Not Leave Hungary
Herbert Stepic, CEO of Austrian RBI (Raiffeisen Bank International) is highly dissatisfied with Hungary´s decision not to reduce bank taxes. However, RBI will stay, he says.
October 18, 2012 · Updated: October 18, 2012; 17:08
Hungarian Tax Plans: Austrian Banks Annoyed
Because of the pressing need to reduce the budget deficit, Hungary´s government decided not to lower the bank tax. Moreover, the financial transaction tax will be doubled.
October 18, 2012
Austrian Business Location Becomes Less Attractive
The economic sentiment of U.S. companies operating in Austria is decreasing. The high non-wage labor costs are Austria´s biggest problem.
October 17, 2012
Austrian Budget: Experts Call for Further Reforms (Part 3)
Economists think that the budget does not contain enough reform steps. The opposition does not see any signs of progress.
October 16, 2012
Austrian Budget: Experts Call for Further Reforms (Part 2)
Austrian economic research institutes criticize the state budget and want the government to show more ambition.
October 16, 2012
Austrian Industry Reaffirms: „We need structural reforms”
The President of IV (Federation of Austrian Industries) Georg Kapsch argues that more justice cannot be achieved with new taxes.
October 13, 2012
Slovak Deficit to Reach 2.9% of GDP in 2013
The Slovak government approved the 2013 state budget. The deficit will be reduced step by step in the next years.
October 12, 2012
Fekter Happy With Financial Transaction Tax
Austrian Finance Minister Maria Fekter: "We have only created the on-ramp to the highway – details and structure to follow by Christmas“
October 10, 2012
Slovenia Resolves Financial Transaction Tax
The Slovenian government wants to introduce a 6.5% tax on securities trading. The financial industry criticizes the government massively.
October 9, 2012
Serbia´s National Bank Fights Against Inflation
Today, the Serbian National Bank raised the base rate from 10.50% to 10.75%. IMF has lowered the economic outlook for Serbia.
October 9, 2012
Financial Transaction Tax to be Introduced
Now, the financial transaction tax has enough supporters. After months of negotiations, eleven EU member countries finally agreed on introducing a financial transaction tax.
October 9, 2012