REAL ESTATE TAXATION: THE EXPERIENCE OF THE EUROPEAN UNION MEMBER STATES
The purpose of the work is to study the foreign experience of real estate taxation on the example of the member countries of the European Union. Interest in property taxation increases every year. Analysis of international experience allows you to study tax tools: approaches to the valuation of the tax base, rates, benefits, features of administration. The study was conducted in three groups: inheritance and gift taxes, taxes on ownership and transfer of rights, taxes on wealth (luxury). The authors identified a number of problems in the practice of applying property taxation, namely: the difficulty of determining a reliable and accurate tax base (for property taxes) and establishing the optimal rate (for transfer taxes). The article also identifies the problems that can cause an increase in tax rates: a reduction in the domestic real estate market due to a reduction in the number of transactions, deliberate undervaluation of the tax base, the withdrawal of capital abroad. As a result of the research conducted, the authors formulated a number of fundamental provisions on which the system of real estate taxation in the European Union is based, namely: the effectiveness of tax benefits, business continuity, environmental protection, avoidance of double taxation, stimulation of housing acquisition, justice and protection from abuse of benefits. The results of the research are relevant for a comparative evaluation of the real estate tax system in Belarus and development of recommendations for its improvement with a view to initiating market processes and creating conditions for the rational use of real estate.