The ÖGB Europabüro, the Brussels Office of the Austrian Trade Union Federation and AK EUROPA, the Brussels Office of the Austrian Federal Chamber of Labour, cordially invite you to a panel discussion:To Tax or to De-Tax? Monday, October 20, 18:30h Permanent Representation of Austria to the EU, 1st floor 30, Avenue de Cortenbergh 1040 Brussels  The growing concentration of income and wealth and the corresponding rise in inequality around the globe and in Europe have forcefully re-entered the center of political discussions. A recent OECD report on “Top Incomes and Taxation” demonstrated that the upward trend in top income shares in OECD countries went hand in hand with substantial cuts in top personal income tax rates while the average corporate income tax rate declined from 47% to 25%. The Swiss private bank Julius Baer, in its recently published “Wealth Report: Europe”, concludes that European wealth in 2013 exceeded its pre-crisis peak, reaching a new all-time high of EUR 56 trillion, and that Austria and Germany are among the countries with the highest wealth concentration. At the same time, several EU Member States are engaging in a race to the bottom by offering preferential tax treatment for multinationals, thereby further eroding Member States’ tax base. On the panel: Erich Foglar, President, Austrian Trade Union Federation ÖGB David Begg, General Secretary, Irish Congress of Trade Unions Michael Foerster, Senior Policy Analyst, OECD Moderation: H.E. Marlies Stubits, Austrian Ambassador to the OECD What are the repercussions of wealth concentration, amplified by austerity policies, on economic growth and democratic legitimacy? What happened to the seemingly ambitious tax agenda of the outgoing Barroso-Commission, and will the new Juncker-Commission and the new Parliament be able to stop the tax-race-to-the-bottom? The discussion will be held in German and English with simultaneous interpretation. Following the event, we would like to invite you to a buffet. Please register for the event before October 20, 2014  For further information: Tel: 02 230 74 63 or 02 230 62 54