EU Tax Reform for Touring Artists
Over the past year, the European Music Managers Alliance (EMMA) has been campaigning to reform the fragmented withholding tax system that affects artists touring across Europe. With each country enforcing its own rules, artists and their managers are burdened with excessive paperwork – filing A1 forms, submitting multiple tax returns – just to get paid fairly. This administrative maze can turn profitable tours into financial losses and has revealed how the EU cooperation falls short when it comes to supporting cultural mobility.
Compounding the challenge, most EU countries have tax agreements with the United States that allow American artists to defer withholding tax until they exceed an earning threshold (often €20,000 per person). Creating an uneven playing field, making it harder for European artists to compete internationally.
On 30 April, during a lunchtime session, Jess Partridge and Per Kviman from EMMA outlined these issues, presented potential solutions, and proposed a roadmap for reform.