It’s back to school… back to tax education

Everything seems new when September arrives. A new beginning. New projects. The hustle and bustle of school. The joyful sound of children when they reunite with their friends and teachers.

We’re also back with our Civic Tax Education Programme. Educators with fresh energy, along with new materials and new hires.

Once again, we are striving to achieve our goal: to raise awareness among the young that we’re not alone, that we must sustain our Great House, the city or town, transport, hospitals, schools, etc., and everything this entails.

Asked for the first time if they know who pays for their (public) school, the children are surprised to learn that we all pay for it…

The precise definition provided for civic tax education in our Civic Tax Education Programme is extremely important. It is as follows: “Civic Tax Education cannot be reduced merely to teaching practices that enable people to handle tax system requirements. Nor should it be limited to an academic explanation of the meaning and purpose of taxation in a democratic society.”

The main goal of Civic Tax Education is to convey positive values and attitudes towards fiscal responsibility and against fraudulent behaviour.” Therefore, the aim is not so much to provide academic content but civic content.

Civic Tax Education should be viewed as a part of being a responsible citizen. This means assuming tax obligations, firstly because this is a legal requirement, and secondly because it’s our civic duty, highlighting the consequences of non-compliance with these obligations for the individual and for society.

From the TAXEDU portal, we encourage all participating countries in this project to continue working towards tax education.