Today we published the final report of the new study on ‘Tax compliance costs for SMEs’.
The study, which was conducted in 28 European countries (EU27+UK) among more than 3,500 enterprises in 2019, focuses on the obligations SMEs face when complying with tax requirements. It also highlights how tax systems can impact companies’ decision-making and economic activity as well as how they cope with these separate systems.
SMEs face proportionally higher costs than larger enterprises. SMEs account for almost all EU27+UK non-financial business sector enterprises, so even small improvements in the regulatory environment for SMEs may have a big impact on the EU’s economy.
The study suggests potential national- and EU- level improvements, including
- general simplification of tax obligations for companies, and SMEs in particular
- adopting one-stop-shop solutions
- increasing the digitalisation of national fiscal systems
The study also provides an overview of the COVID-19 relief measures adopted by EU countries in 2020 and 2021 to support businesses.
Documents
Details
- Publication date
- 7 April 2022
- Author
- Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs