Tax harmonization in Europe : the determination of corporate taxable income in the Member States

In relation to this topic, the authors consider the purpose of tax accounting and the common criteria for evaluating tax rules, compare selected International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) with tax practices in the Member States and draw some interim conclusions. The authors then focus on company tax burdens and specifically the consequences on the effective levels of company tax burdens in selected Member States if IFRS were to be used to define the tax base.