An upgrade makes it easier than ever for users of the portal to discover and deliver meaningful tax education.

One year since the launch of TAXEDU, the portal has now entered its second edition. The new version was recently launched with several enhanced functionalities.

One of the notable features is that teachers and national representatives can now search for and upload new resources and share these with the TAXEDU community in English and/or their national language. Users can also share national news and events articles – content that has received greater visibility – in their native language.

What is more, it is possible now for teachers and national representatives to connect with others on the online Forum to discuss a variety of topics.

This means teachers and national representatives have become the drivers of the portal, steering this initiative at both the national and European level.

The new features also allow users to actively promote tax education and to ensure the sustainability of the TAXEDU project. They can contribute to the project’s main objective, which is the integration of tax education in the national school curricula of European Union member states.

Thanks to the new portal version (with all the new features and continuous ongoing improvements), delivering tax education has never been easier than with TAXEDU.

Newly available language versions

TAXEDU’s microlearning resources, which primary school teachers across Europe are using to design their lesson plans for taxpayer education, have been equipped with audio and are now available in all 22 EU languages. 

What is more, the e-Learnings for teens are also available in 12 EU languages, lifting the language barrier to tax education.

Looking back

TAXEDU was officially unveiled to the public by the European Commission’s Taxation and Customs Union Directorate-General in November 2017. It was developed and designed as the first EU tax educational EU-wide portal for youngsters in 22 languages.

The portal is equipped with a multitude of digital resources comprising of 264 educational videos about taxation, eight eLearning courses and extensive support material for teachers.

The pilot project was completed in June 2018. Further evolutive portal improvements were developed, such as establishing a user helpdesk, supporting communication, the creation of the user Forum, improvements of the ‘Teacher’s corner’ interface, enhancing the search functionalities in the Training catalogue, and publishing regular news items.

Now the version of the TAXEDU portal has passed to the hands of the users (teachers and tax national administrations), making it lively and dynamic. Most importantly, the portal is continuously being enriched with new education materials, as well as discussions on the Forums and a constant stream of news and events coverage. 

Wenn es um Marketing von Wissenbildung im Bereich Steuern geht, macht Österreich mit seinen derzeitigen sowie weiter geplanten TAXEDU-Initiativen einen grossen Schritt hin zur Bildung einer nationalen Steuerkultur.

Im Hinblick auf die Bewerbung/Bekanntmachung des TAXEDU-Portals hat Österreich bereits viele Maßnahmen unternommen. Es handelt sich dabei um ein Pilotprojekt der Europäischen Union mit der Absicht, junge europäische Bürgerinnen und Bürger über das Thema „Steuern“ und deren Auswirkungen zu unterrichten.

Das Bundesministerium für Bildung, Wissenschaft und Forschung unterstützt beispielsweise die Initiativen des TAXEDU-Portals. Österreichweicht wurden mehr als 5700 Schulen Informationen zu TAXEDU übermittelt. Viele Bildungsinstitutionen haben das TAXEDU-Portal auch auf ihren eigenen Homepages platziert, ebenso auf deren Social Media-Kanälen (z.B. Facebook).

Weiters wurde das TAXEDU-Portal im Rahmen des Round Table „Finanzbildung in Österreich“ vorgestellt. Mitglieder dieses Round Table sind u.a. Vertreterinnen und Vertreter der Österreichischen Nationalbank, Wirtschaftskammer Österreich, Arbeiterkammer Österreich, Industriellenvereinigung Österreich, Finanzmarktaufsicht Österreich, Schuldnerberatung Österreich, Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien sowie der Bundesministerien für Arbeit, Soziales, Gesundheit und Konsumentenschutz; für Bildung, Wissenschaft und Forschung und für Digitalisierung und Wirtschaftsstandort. Alle Institutionen unterstützen die TAXEDU-Initiativen.

Die Österreichische Steuer- und Zollverwaltung schult alle neuen Mitarbeiterinnen und Mitarbeiter im Zuge deren Ausbildung über die TAXEDU-Möglichkeiten bzw. ist das Portal auch ein integrierter Bestandteil von Schulbesuchen durch die Finanzverwaltung (z.B. in höheren Schulen).

TAXEDU war auch im Rahmen der „Interpädagogica 2018“ ein Thema. Die Interpädagogica ist die größte Bildungsmesse im deutschsprachigen Raum (www.interpaedagogica.at/). Diese ist Österreichs einzige Fachmesse für den pädagogischen Bereich und damit die wichtigste Informationsplattform für Pädagoginnen und Pädagogen, Entscheidungsträger und alle Bildungsinteressierten. Sie bietet einen umfassenden Überblick über aktuelle Entwicklungen, Angebote und Innovationen am Bildungsmarkt und ist darüber hinaus Plattform zum Informations- und Meinungsaustausch.

Studenten der Universität Wien evaluieren derzeit (im Rahmen einer Bachelor- bzw. Masterarbeit) den Einfluss sowie die Wirkung von TAXEDU in österreichischen Schulen. Ein Fragebogen wurde entwickelt und die anonyme Befragung begann im Februar 2019 an mehr als 1000 Schulen. Sobald die Ergebnisse vorliegen, werden diese veröffentlicht.

TAXEDU ist auch ein wichtiger Teil eines Pilotprojektes bezüglich Praktikumsmöglichkeit für Schülerinnen und Schüler von kaufmännischen Schulen. Zusätzlich wird das Portal auch in die „Tax Education Challenge“ des Bundesministeriums für Finanzen integriert. Im April 2019 begann die „Tax Education Challenge“ mit ca. 250 Schülerinnen und Schüler, welche eingeladen sind, neue Ideen bzw. Maßnahmen im Zusammenhang mit Finanzbildung vorzuschlagen bzw. zu diskutieren (www.e3lab.at).

Abschließend kann festgehalten werden, dass das TAXEDU-Portal durch die skizzierten österreichischen Bemühungen entsprechend promotet wird und dadurch die Wichtigkeit des Themas „Tax Education“ ausdrücklich betont wird.

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When it comes to promoting tax education, Austria’s ongoing and planned TAXEDU activities are making great strides towards building a national tax culture.

Austria’s education ministry has been an avid supporter of the TAXEDU portal – a European Union pilot project that aims to educate young European citizens about tax and how it affects their lives. More than 5 700 schools across Austria have been introduced to TAXEDU, with many schools opting to promote the portal on their websites and on social media such as Facebook.

Additionally, the portal was presented and discussed within the framework of the “Austrian Fiscal Education Network”. Stakeholders including Austria’s National Bank, Chamber of Commerce and advocacy groups of educational institutions, as well as several ministries and regional governmental institutions have expressed their support and have been actively promoting TAXEDU initiatives.

The Austrian Tax and Customs Administration have also worked towards ensuring that tax education in connection with TAXEDU is part of the education of all new employees and an integral part of school visits by the country’s finance administration.

The promotion of TAXEDU continued at Interpädagogica 2018 – the largest education fair in German speaking countries. It is also Austria’s only trade fair for the education sector, and the country’s most important information hub for educators, executives and all people with an interest in education. It provides a comprehensive overview of the latest developments, products, ideas and innovations on the education market, and is also a hub for the exchange of information and opinions. It was here, TAXEDU was presented and discussed.

Looking towards the future, the University of Vienna is currently evaluating the impact and effect of TAXEDU in Austrian schools. A questionnaire has been developed whereby anonymous questioning began in 1000 schools in February 2019. The results of this will be shared at a later date.

TAXEDU will also be an important element of a pilot project regarding an internship for students of business schools and it will further be integrated into the pilot-project “www.e3lab.at (e3lab) – Tax Education Challenge”. In April 2019, the Tax Education Challenge begins with approximately 250 students sharing their thoughts on the subject whereby new ideas/measures in this area will be achieved.

The TAXEDU portal has received phenomenal support in Austria, whereby its activities will help create a future that places an emphasis on tax education. 

Nel mese di marzo si è svolta in Puglia un’importante iniziativa che ha coinvolto numerosi studenti. Si tratta della Giornata per la Legalità, momento conclusivo del “Premio Malala Yousafzai”, un progetto di educazione alla legalità e di tutela del diritto all’istruzione, promosso dalla Regione Puglia e dall’Agenzia delle Entrate. L’iniziativa, giunta alla seconda edizione, coinvolge istituti scolastici che operano in aree disagiate, di emarginazione e di disoccupazione, attraverso un percorso formativo basato sui principi e i valori della legalità.

Il progetto - “One child, one teacher, one book, one pen can change the world”, questa frase di Malala Yousafzai, la ragazza pakistana vincitrice del Premio Nobel per la pace grazie al suo impegno per i diritti civili, rappresenta in sintesi le intenzioni che stanno alla base del progetto. L’iniziativa, promossa congiuntamente da istituzioni pubbliche e associazioni no profit impegnate nel sociale, ha coinvolto diversi istituti scolastici pugliesi e circa 600 studenti, che hanno partecipato a una serie di seminari sull’educazione alla legalità e al rispetto delle regole.

La Giornata della Legalità - L’evento che si è tenuto lo scorso 25 marzo a San Severo, in provincia di Foggia, alla presenza di numerose autorità istituzionali rappresenta il momento conclusivo dell’edizione del progetto 2018-2019. Durante la Giornata sono state premiate le scuole che si sono messe in evidenza per aver svolto la propria attività a sostegno dell’istruzione in aree disagiate e gli studenti presenti hanno proclamato un giuramento pubblico diventando così “Sentinelle della Legalità”, con il compito di tutelare il proprio territorio in base ai valori dell’impegno morale e civile.

The TAXEDU portal is shedding light on how environmental tax is protecting the environment
 

When young people are asked about how they can help solve the world’s environmental problems, some of the most common answers include taking public transport, recycling and saving water. Now thanks to TAXEDU, children around Europe are also learning how environmental taxes can be used to address a wide range of issues – from water pollution to air emissions.
 

Children can view a microlearning clip titled “Can taxes help protect the environment?”. It’s available on the TAXEDU digital platform, which features e-learning resources, videos and educational information about taxes in 22 EU languages.  Designed for students aged 9 to 12, the clip explains the purpose of environmental taxes.
 

After viewing this microlearning clip, students will be able to easily identify sources of pollution and understand the resulting negative effects on the environment. They will have also learned about the measures taken by national authorities to protect the environment, including environmental taxes.
 

Teachers around Europe can use TAXEDU’s multilingual lesson plans to initiate classroom discussions about the wide range of legislative charges placed on businesses and individuals with the goal of discouraging behaviour that is harmful to both the environment and people. 
These online resources also inspire students to consider how taxes can fund eco-innovations, reduce pollution and generate revenue that can be used by governments to protect the environment. 
 

Good tax practices
 

Examples of good practice are easy to find. There are many successful environmental taxes in Europe. For example, Ireland was among the first countries to introduce a plastic bag levy. It resulted in a 90 % reduction of plastic bag usage. What’s more, the money raised has been used to help finance environmental projects.
 

Back in 1994, Denmark introduced a tax on piped water to reduce wastewater. The tax was 75 cents per cubic metre of water and this saw a reduction of drinking water from 513 to 480 million cubic metres between 1993 and 1995. Then in 2014, the tax was increased – once again resulting in further reductions in water consumption.
 

Over in Sweden, the government introduced a tax on nitrogen (NOx) to reduce NOx emissions from energy generation in combustion plants and combined heat and power plants. This was to help with soil acidification, water eutrophication and to improve air quality. Because of this tax, NOx emissions reduced from 0,4 kg/GWh to 0,18 kg/GWh.
 

These are just a few examples of how environmental taxes are helping to protect our environment. Without them, our environment would be in a completely different shape.  So can taxation help the environment? Yes it can!
 

Projekt »Davčno opismenjevanje mladih« temelji na cilju, da davke približamo mladim, da jim podamo osnovne odgovore na vprašanja kot so; kaj je davek ter zakaj, kdaj, kako in koliko ga je potrebno plačati. Najmlajši verjetno še nikoli niso slišali za besedo davek, zato bo njihovo opismenjevanje izvedeno na poseben način, ki bo prilagojen njihovi starosti. Cilj opismenjevanja mladih v prvi triadi bo, da bodo otroci pridobili osnovno znanje o tem kaj je davek in zakaj ga je potrebno plačati.

Prva triada, ali čas od 1. do 3. razreda, je za otroke velik korak. Iz preprostega, igrivega okolja, se morajo vključiti v okolje, polno pravil, odgovornosti ter obveznosti. Da je počutje prijaznejše in zanimivejše se učitelji poslužujejo različnih metod in pristopov, prilagojeno njihovi razvojni stopnji.

Metode

Predavatelji Finančne uprave Republike Slovenije, bomo uporabili različne metode poučevanja in sicer razlago, pogovor, opazovanje ter prikazovanje slik in filmov. Osnovni namen je, da se izvede izobraževanje kot delavnica.

Pripomočki

Različni računi, pobarvanka, risanka, film.

Izvedba

Pozdravimo otroke in učiteljico, se predstavimo in povemo nekaj osnovnih informacij o delu FURS, ki bi bile zanimive za otroke te starosti.

Vprašamo, če so že kdaj in kje videli naslednji napis: (slika letaka)

Povezana na internetno stran FURS: http://www.fu.gov.si/fileadmin/Internet/Nadzor/Podrocja/Davcne_blagajne_in_VKR/Opis/Obvestilo_o_obveznosti_izdaje_racuna_in_obveznosti_kupca_da_prevzame_in_zadrzi_izdani_racun.pdf

Skupaj naglas preberemo zapis.

Vprašamo ali so razumeli kaj pomeni zapis?

Ali vedo kaj je to račun?

Zakaj ga je potrebno vzeti?

Razdelimo račune. Vprašamo kaj piše na računu?

Otroci povedo svoja razmišljanja, nato vprašamo, če vedo, kaj pa pomeni davek?

Davek plačamo v trgovini, kaj mislite, da trgovina naredi s tem davkom?

Kaj pa je proračun? Kot velika blagajna ali denarnica Republike Slovenije. Davki so denar v denarnici Republike Slovenije.

Vprašamo, kaj Republika Slovenija naredi z davki?

Pokažemo risanko (5.38 minut).

Obnovimo kaj smo videli v risanki. Vprašamo, kaj so videli v risanki?

Ponovimo, kaj smo se naučili: da moramo zmeraj vzeti račun in da so davki zelo pomembni, saj imamo vsi korist od njih.

Kakšna pa bi bila Republika Slovenija brez davkov? Pogledamo film:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3hd4CKGY98

Vprašamo, kaj so videli? Skupaj povzamemo.

Ali si želimo takšno Republiko Slovenijo?

Ne, zato se bomo trudili, da bomo zmeraj vzeli račun in plačali davek.

Povemo, da lahko prosijo starše ali učitelje, da se skupaj naučijo še kaj o obdavčevanju s pomočjo naslednje spletne strani Evropske unije: https://europa.eu/taxedu/child_sl

Zahvalimo se za pozornost in sodelovanje in razdelimo pobarvanko in barvice.

Na pobarvanki so poklici, ki jih vsakodnevno srečujemo in potrebujemo in so financirani iz davkov.

Zaključek

Z davčnim opismenjevanjem mladih v prvi triadi OŠ nas čaka velika odgovornost, hkrati pa to pomeni tudi velik izziv, da najmlajšim damo kanček znanja iz zelo zahtevnega področja, kot so davki.

Celotna izvedba traja 1 šolsko uro.

Pripravili:

mag. Barbara Šarh

mag. Branka Hercog

Un tour della legalità per riscoprire e valorizzare paesi, luoghi, siti della Sicilia simboli nella lotta a ogni forma di ingiustizia e irregolarità, anche quella fiscale. E’ l’iniziativa ideata dall’Agenzia delle Entrate in Sicilia e che ha coinvolto quasi 50 studenti di Cefalù, in provincia di Palermo.

Il concorso Tour della Legalità è stato bandito a novembre e si concluso lo scorso 18 febbraio presso la sede della Direzione regionale siciliana dell’Agenzia a Palermo, con la presentazione e la premiazione dei pacchetti viaggio ideati dagli studenti, che hanno proposto, in 5 tappe, un ipotetico viaggio nella legalità della nostra isola, per un gruppo di immaginari turisti, includendo nel tour anche una tappa di legalità fiscale.

Nel percorso turistico, gli studenti hanno inserito diversi luoghi confiscati alla mafia divenuti ora emblemi virtuosi di rispetto delle regole, tra cui il “Laboratorio della Legalità” a Corleone, paese dell’entroterra siciliano in provincia di Palermo, in passato centro vitale della mafia e della criminalità.

La tappa della legalità fiscale è stata invece ambientata presso un hotel palermitano in regola con il Fisco e presso l’immaginaria “Pasticceria Iannazzo Vincenzo” di Corleone che, come scrivono gli studenti nel loro progetto, “da ormai 50 anni, oltre alla tipicità dei prodotti offerti, è caratterizzata e riconosciuta per la sua serietà e il rispetto delle obbligazioni fiscali (costante e continua emissione di scontrini e puntuale pagamento delle tasse)”.

To celebrate its official launch in the country, TAXEDU draws a high-profile crowd in Bucharest

Teachers and students in Romania joined government officials, MS tax experts and European Commission representatives in Bucharest on December 12 to celebrate the country’s launch of the European pilot project TAXEDU.

More than 150 people attended the event, which was hosted at the headquarters of the National Bank of Romania (one of the country’s most prominent buildings). No doubt a fitting scene for such an important event.

According to organisers, the launch event aimed to highlight the importance of bringing digital tax education to young people in Romania, as part of a wider economic and financial education programme for Romanian citizens.

The governor of Romania’s National Bank, Mugur Isărescu, together with Oana Iacob, the finance ministry’s state secretary, and the minister of education,  Ecaterina Andronescu, delivered keynote speeches.

Representatives of the country’s Financial Supervision Authority and the Romanian Banks Association also addressed the audience. Together, they emphasised TAXEDU’s importance and the opportunity it presents for Romania to educate young people about tax.

The event continued with engaging presentations providing useful information about TAXEDU, highlighting its key features. Birgit Reiser, who heads the Customs and Taxation Training sector of the European Commission, kicked off by congratulating Romania for actively investing in launching tax education for Romanian youngsters. She was followed by Fiscalis Romanian Tax Expert Silvia Cristescu, who explained how this EU initiative could be brought to schools to improve youth’s perception on taxation.

The online digital platform was developed* in 22 EU languages with e-learning resources, videos and educational information for European youngsters with an active support of National Tax Administrations. The project was funded by the European Parliament and led by the European Commission (Directorate General for Taxation and Customs).

Alexandru Coşbuc from Siveco stressed how the portal was built to teach intelligently and Carmen Elena Lupea from INTRSAOFT International presented the goals of the Communication Strategy’s campaign, under the slogan “Tax builds my future”. These goals are to attract target groups to the platform, entice them to use the educational material and challenge them to download and play the game TAXLANDIA.

Finally, Rosen Bacharov from the Bulgarian Tax Administration offered another perspective by presenting best practices in Bulgaria regarding tax education.

The event ended on a high note with attendees engaging in insightful discussions which explored TAXEDU. Organisers described the launch as a huge success, marking the beginning of tax education for young people in Romania.

*Portal development by a consortium consisting of SIVECO Romania and INTRASOFT International

Anche per il 2018 l’Agenzia delle Entrate, in collaborazione con il Miur (Ministero dell’Istruzione, dell’Università e della Ricerca), ha rinnovato il proprio impegno nell’educare le nuove generazioni alla legalità fiscale, attraverso l’organizzazione di incontri nelle scuole. Un’attività che l’Amministrazione fiscale porta avanti dal 2004 negli istituti primari e secondari italiani. Lo scorso anno le iniziative su tutto il territorio nazionale sono state quasi 1.600, coinvolgendo migliaia di bambini, ragazzi e insegnanti.

Favole, racconti, giochi di ruolo, fumetti e video, alcuni dei tanti strumenti didattici che i funzionari dell’Agenzia utilizzano per spiegare ai più giovani cosa sono le tasse, perché è giusto pagarle e come funziona il sistema fiscale in Italia. Per coinvolgere gli studenti e stimolare la loro creatività sulle tematiche fiscali gli uffici dell’Agenzia delle Entrate organizzano anche dei concorsi a cui le scuole possono partecipare. In questo modo i ragazzi si cimentano con il mondo del Fisco realizzando video, manifesti, fumetti, spot, tutorial che parlano, con un linguaggio a loro vicino, dell’importanza della giusta contribuzione e del rispetto delle regole e dei doveri civici.

Akadémia FS organizuje bezplatné školenie pre učiteľov a koordinátorov finančnej gramotnosti. Všetky školenia organizované finančnou správou nájdete na našej stránke: https://www.financnasprava.sk/sk/infoservis/skolenia .

A new EU-wide digital instruction resource (short e-Learnings on taxes) – now available in Greek – will make it fun and easy to inculcate a taxpaying culture among Greece’s future taxpayers.
 

Schools can play a big role to help improve tax compliance and boost tax morale. But raising the next generation of taxpayers requires more than lessons in reading, writing and arithmetic. Thanks to TAXEDU, teachers now have an arsenal of strategies at the ready.

Greece is taking the lead with plans to promote the use of this ambitious EU tool in public schools nationwide. A staunch supporter of TAXEDU from the very beginning, Greece’s Independent Authority for Public Revenue (AADE) has consistently included taxpayer education as a main priority in its Annual Operational Plans since 2016. It will also be included in its 2019 plan.

Most recently, the Tax Compliance Directorate, an Independent Authority for Public Revenue Directorate, submitted an official proposal to the Education Ministry for the inclusion of 12 TAXEDU micro-learning clips for children (short animations, already translated into Greek) on the national educational platform Photodentro. The proposal was approved. Once uploaded here, the micro-learning clips will be available to educators all over Greece.

According to officials at AADE, which is spearheading this effort, it is important to introduce taxes to younger audiences in an engaging manner – using new technologies, cartoons, attractive infographics and short videos that encourage interaction and active participation.

According to TAXEDU, promoting tax compliance is more than ensuring citizens pay their taxes on time. It’s about building a culture of ethics and compliance. It is designed to educate about tax and how it affects our lives.

With TAXEDU, taxpayer education can help bridge the gap between tax authorities and a future generation of taxpayers. TAXEDU is also flexible, allowing Greece’s national authorities to mix and match the material to fit their priorities, as regards educational programmes in primary and middle school curricula.

And, it’s bound to play a bigger role by expanding to secondary schools. A proposal to target teenagers is currently being hammered out by Greece’s officials.