[adventured]

It's an increasingly low corporate tax rate world. Ireland's rate is no longer as unusually low relative to other EU nations as it used to. The average EU corporate tax rate is getting close to being in the teens.

For example:

Hungary 9%, Bulgaria 10%, Lithuania 15%, Romania 16%, Croatia 18%, Poland 19%, Czech 19%, Slovenia 19%, UK 19%, Estonia 20%, Finland 20%, Latvia 20%

Even Denmark is at 22% and Norway is at 23%, traditionally high tax countries.

Outside the EU in Europe you have Montenegro 9%, Macedonia 10%, Bosnia 10%, Serbia 15%, Georgia 15%, Albania 15%, Belarus 18%, Russia 20%, Armenia 20%.

Another decade of rate competition and the EU average might be down to something close to 18%.

The real unusual stand-outs these days are the high total rate nations, like France, Belgium, Greece and Germany, rather than the low rate nations.

[ionised]

I don't think the popularity of these low rates is a justification. It just highlights how it has become a race to the bottom.

[logifail]

Regarding multinationals which might place their EU "tax address" in any of 28 countries, those countries which choose to set low taxation rates have (logically) decided they would rather attempt to have a low percentage of something than get a higher percentage of nothing at all.

Q: How many companies would site a corporate office in Luxembourg if there were no tax advantage?