Design Quote by Wolfgang Kubicki
“Nobody, not even the EU, can tell us how to design our tax law. We can solve the problem with license boxes in the Netherlands unilaterally.”
About This Quote
Source Speech: European Parliament debate, 2023
Tax law design is a sovereign matter; external bodies cannot dictate national specifics, and unilateral solutions like Dutch license boxes are proposed.
In simple terms: Countries set their own tax rules; we can act alone.
Key Takeaway
Respect national autonomy in tax policy.
Themes
sovereignty
tax policy
unilateral action
Mood
assertive
pragmatic
Type
political
policy.
When to use this quote
- national budgeting
- business licensing
- cross‑border trade
- policy reform
Key Concepts
federalism
regulatory autonomy
Questions to Reflect On
- How does national sovereignty affect tax competitiveness?
- What risks arise from acting alone?
A Different Perspective
Unilateral moves may cause friction with trade partners.
![“[My father] was also a lawyer in his bank and specialized in tax law. He would have to do the tax returns for all the Harvard profs because they were buffaloed by that kind of reasoning. Professors in the economics department, even they knew nothing about it.” quote by Paul Laffoley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/2c6/paul-laffoley-7077_department_my-father-was-also-a-lawyer-in-his-bank_1083145.jpg)
