TAXEDU is a European Union pilot project with a mission to educate young European citizens about tax and how it affects their lives.

The project has been so successful that options to extend the project into 2019 are being explored. Several EU countries, led by their national tax administration, plan to use the learning material and information created and collected as part of the project for national initiatives.

Greece, for example, will integrate TAXEDU material into primary school curricula for the academic year 2018-2019. Awareness raising initiatives will also be organised for older children, again using TAXEDU materials such as lesson plans and videos.

Meanwhile in Bulgaria, content from TAXEDU has been added to an existing ‘Keep up with taxes’ portal, which has a particularly impressive following. As part of the EU project, short animated videos known as ‘micro-learnings’ have been translated into 22 EU languages, while further e-Learning material is also being translated.

This has cleared the way for other countries to plan additional actions, such as introducing schools to TAXEDU, presenting the project to relevant ministries and local administration, as well as communication with the general public and civil society organisations.

The TAXEDU project has been led by the European Parliament and the European Commission (Directorate General for Taxation and Customs).

Much of its success can however be attributed to the hard work and commitment of representatives from national authorities, who have provided valuable input throughout the project and are now leading awareness-raising initiatives in their home countries.

So, stay tuned and follow TAXEDU!

The European Commission has launched a new education portal for young people to teach them in a fun and interactive way about tax issues.

TAXEDU is a digital resource to educate children about the purpose of taxes and how they affect daily life. The hope is that it will also help to stimulate the ongoing debate about fair taxation.

The portal is full of multilingual e-learning tools, games, videos and educational material for teachers to use in schools.

Commissioner Pierre Moscovici, responsible for Economic and Financial Affairs, Taxation and Customs, said: "I am proud to announce the launch of TAXEDU, a project which will raise young people's awareness of tax issues. Through online games, young people can learn in a fun way how their schools, local swimming pools and playgrounds are financed, and how they too will one day help to build public services themselves through taxes. We want to spark an interest in tax matters and get young people involved in the decisions that will shape their future."

A joint initiative of the European Commission and the European Parliament, the project has been brought to life thanks to cooperation with EU countries' tax authorities.

(For more information: Vanessa Mock – Tel.: +32 229 56194; Patrick McCullough – Tel: +32 229 87183)

Who said that tax is not a topic for children? The switching live of the TAXEDU web-portal means that all European children, teenagers and young adults now have the option to explore, in their own language, the world of tax. Through TAXEDU, which includes games, e-learning material – and more importantly fun – they can learn about the numerous benefits that tax has for society.

TAXEDU…what is it?
The name of this portal – TAXEDU – is derived from the words ‘Tax’ and ‘Education’. It is a European Union pilot project and the aim is to educate young European citizens about tax and how it affects their lives.

For whom?
The portal targets three age groups with tailored information:
9-12 years: an explanation of what taxes are. Children might be surprised to learn certain facts about taxes in place now and historically around Europe!
13-17 years: a detailed description of what taxes are and useful information according in line with teenagers’ interests (downloading music, buying online, etc.).
18 25 years: information relevant to this particular phase in life, as young people make the transition to adulthood.

What does the TAXEDU web-portal offer?
Information is conveyed through games, e-learning material and microlearning clips so that European youngsters can learn about tax in its different forms, and the issues associated with it (tax fraud, tax evasion, etc.) in a fun and engaging way. Youngsters can even play at ruling a country for one day by taking the Taxlandia challenge!

The teachers’ corner offers resources, tips and tricks on teaching about tax and its benefits at school. 

Behind the scenes
The development of TAXEDU was led by the European Parliament and the European Commission (Directorate General for Taxation and Customs), while national tax administrations have also contributed. Most importantly, young Europeans were consulted during the creation of this site, and provided feedback on its learning content.