In Europe's tax system - "communist" sentiment
The tax systems of European and EU countries are going through a significant transformation focused on combating tax evasion. While a number of countries, including Moldova, are only considering new criteria and higher rates for owners of high-value property and high incomes. In the EU, there is an ongoing campaign to collect signatures in favor of a progressive tax on ultra-large estates (over €1 billion) to finance the “green transition.
There are no official plans for the immediate introduction of the tax at the EU-wide level for 2026, but the European Commission is conducting a study on the effectiveness of such levies, the results of which are expected soon.
The issue is also being actively discussed at the level of the EU leadership and within the framework of G20 initiatives. The main burden falls on the national budgets of the member states, where approaches to capital and property taxation differ greatly.
For fair taxation
Large multinational corporations and wealthy individuals are increasingly under scrutiny amid growing controversy over whether they are paying “their fair share”. In protests across Europe, they are often called upon to contribute more.
According to the Eurobarometer 2025 survey, two-thirds of EU citizens support a tax on the rich, and four out of five favor taxing large multinational companies. The level of support varies greatly by country, and, according to experts, this is largely due to different levels of trust in the authorities and state institutions.
Euronews Business investigated how Europeans feel about introducing a minimum wealth tax for the wealthiest and a basic tax for large multinational companies in the countries where they operate.
Inequality and wealth gaps
Participants were asked: “How do you feel about a minimum wealth tax on the wealthiest citizens (the top 0.001%) in your country?”.
On average across the EU, 65% of respondents supported such a minimum tax. The range of answers varies from 45% in the Czech Republic to 78% in Hungary.
In addition to these two countries, at least 70% are in favor of a wealth tax in Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia and Greece, while in Poland and Denmark less than half of respondents support it.
In the four largest EU economies, the level of support is similar. Italy leads with 70%, followed by Germany and Spain with 69% each. France, with 65%, is in line with the EU average.
Support is generally high in Central and Eastern Europe, although differences within the region are striking. Poland and the Czech Republic are clearly outliers with noticeably lower scores.
“Perceptions of inequality and the visibility of property gaps play a crucial role in shaping attitudes towards taxation,” Eric Kirchler from the University of Vienna told Euronews Business.
“Where social protection is weak and wealth stratification is conspicuous, citizens tend to demand stronger equalizing measures, including higher taxes for the super-rich.”
He noted that property and wealth taxes have been abolished in many Northern European countries because of concerns about their effectiveness and the risk of evasion. He said citizens in these countries generally have confidence in current income and capital income taxes, believing that they work efficiently and ensure a fair distribution of the tax burden. “Therefore, the willingness to return to pure wealth taxes remains limited,” he added.
The role of trust in government
Karen Suret-Sloane of Paderborn University notes that these perceptions are influenced by differences in levels of trust in government. Income levels, the extent of wealth inequality and what inequality people find acceptable are also important.
“If people are convinced that the ‘rich’ can circumvent the system, and that the political system and state apparatus are poorly controlled or even corrupt, this dissatisfaction fuels demands for a wealth tax,” she told Euronews Business.
When participants were asked “to what extent they agree that large multinational companies should pay a minimum tax in each country where they operate,” the level of support rose markedly.
Across the EU as a whole, 80% of respondents agree: of these, 44% strongly agree and 36% somewhat agree. Support ranges from 67% in Hungary to 87% in Greece.
In a number of countries, more than four-fifths of respondents believe that multinationals should pay a minimum tax where they operate, including Austria (86%), Bulgaria (84%), France (83%), Finland (83%), Portugal (83%), Malta (83%), Croatia (82%), Germany (82%) and Luxembourg (81%).
The share of those who “strongly agree” is particularly high in Austria (54%), Croatia (51%) and Germany (48%).
Along with Hungary, the overall level of support is below three quarters in Latvia (72 %), Slovenia (73 %), Slovakia (73 %) and the Czech Republic (74 %).
According to Karen Suret-Sloane, Austria remains an attractive country for foreign direct investment (FDI), while Hungary is among the least attractive. This suggests that Hungary is eager to attract FDI, even if it has to give up some corporate tax revenues to do so.
“This strategy is most likely fueled by expectations of overall benefits from increased revenues from other taxes, such as consumption taxes like VAT. In Austria, however, people are more concerned about the competitiveness of domestic companies compared to foreign players,” she explained.
Foreign direct investment
Kirchler noted that Austria, Croatia and Bulgaria do not see themselves as tax havens, but as market economies that expect fair contributions from companies. “A minimum tax gives hope for greater stability and protection against profit withdrawal, and these issues are particularly important for Southeast Europe,” he said.
Kirchler pointed out that Hungary and Latvia have relied on low corporate tax rates and foreign investment to strengthen their economies. “The attitude there is more cautious … Many fear that tighter international tax coordination could weaken their competitiveness,” he added.
Among the most prominent multinational companies are Amazon, Meta, Google and Apple. Some of them have already faced protests over how much tax they pay.
