Our Mission

ETR is clearly advocating the reduction of the costs of the public sector to a maximum of 40 percent of GDP already including state sponsored social security charges and state owned industrial acitivity.

ETR strongly hold the view that in time of global market pressure is on Europe to reduce it almost immoral taxation level. Europe can not sustain taxation levels of over 50% when the US and Japan and most other competitors have significantly lower burdens on their people and business. This has to change now.

ETR opposes all tax increases as a matter of principle. We believe in a system in which taxes are simpler, fairer, flatter, more visible, and lower than they are today. The government’s power
to control one’s life derives from its power to tax. We believe that power should be minimized.

ETR believes that lower taxation is the key for the success of European unification as it is the key parameter to economic success in Europe. Only if significantly lower taxation levels Europe can improve its competitiveness and therefore create jobs, wealth and prosperity, which are the key to safeguard the European way of life.

In order to achieve this ETR believes in institutional competition between EU member states and opposes further competencies of the EU in the field of taxation.

The idea for a network of tax reformers appeared first in the year 2003 when the Slovak Republic started to introduce fundamental reform in the field of taxation. Further impetus was given to the idea of a network like these by the success of tax reform movement in the USA, which moved from reduction to reduction since 2001. These reductions have put Europe under heavy pressure to reform. Europe has generally responded too late and too timid. We want to be the focus point of reform and benchmark the realities of Europe. We want to name and shame and measure the different models of taxation by the only valid measure: the welfare of citizens.

ETR is organising the European Taxpayer Protection Pledge, a written promise by legislators and candidates for office that commits them to oppose any effort to increase income taxes on individuals and businesses.

ETR is currently asking all new MEP and European Commissioners and members of the European Council to sign the pledge. ETR works with partners in all state taxpayer coalitions in all 25 states in order to draw up similar pledges for their respective countries. 

ETR is also open for all candidate countries and future candidate countries of the European union of which some have already done a great effort to reform their respective tax systems.

ETR leads the fight to tell the success stories of these reform movements and is focusing clearly on the success of the flat tax in the Slovak republic which was introduced in 2004 with a 19% rate for income, VAT and corporate taxation. The success of this model is the driving force of many tax cuts in central Europe as in Austria with corporate taxation of 25 % and the recent announcement of tax cuts in Hungary, Others are sure to follow. 

Europeans for Tax Reform strongly supports the concept of a single rate, flat tax, and works to reduce the number of times the same money is taxed.

ETR serves as a European network for the grassroots taxpayers’ movement by working with partners all over Europe who share our aims.
ETR is a non-profit, non-partisan network. 
If you want to support our ideas and join our network please contact

Günther Fehlinger