It's one of the areas where supra-national regulation may really annoy governments and corporations, but is a huge benefit to the countries in the union.
For e.g. Ireland does well out of low tax for big corporates, but if/when the EU harmonises tax on corporate profits it will remove the race to the bottom factor.
That means that attracting big companies needs to be done on the basis of a skilled workforce, good facilities, good social care etc.
Which is great if you're a developed country like France, with a range of industries, infrastructure and multinationals. But if you're a county like a pre-'90s ROI it sucks balls.
It's one of the areas where supra-national regulation may really annoy governments and corporations, but is a huge benefit to the countries in the union.
For e.g. Ireland does well out of low tax for big corporates, but if/when the EU harmonises tax on corporate profits it will remove the race to the bottom factor.
That means that attracting big companies needs to be done on the basis of a skilled workforce, good facilities, good social care etc.