In 2012, the corporate income tax rate was reduced from 26%
to 24 percent. With the comparable rate in Germany at 29% and France at 33
percent, Britain stood to reap the revenue-benefits of a significantly lower
tax rate within the European Union. That the 24% rate would be pared down to
21% in 2014 suggests that everything else equal, the state of Britain was set
to reap a sustainable competitive advantage over other E.U. states with respect to
attracting business, and thus jobs. The move was not without risks, however, which included those that were (and are) less than obvious, such as systemic risk and that to the E.U.'s federal system.
The full essay is at "Bank of America in the E.U."
