Ireland introduces first draft of the EU’s 2028–2034 budget. It excludes the proposed review of a common tax on online gambling revenue, leaving the measure out of the initial negotiations.
The Irish presidency, which took over as chief negotiator for the budget cycle in July, left out the proposed EU gambling levy from its first draft.
The Socialists and Democrats (S&D) group , headed by Victor Negrescu who is a Romanian Member of European Parliament (MEP), suggested a 1% tax on revenue made by legalized gambling. The proposal was expected to raise €2-4 billion annually or up to €14 billion over the seven years, which would be earmarked for funding youth programs, education and mental health care projects.
However, the proposal was opposed by Malta and the European Gaming and Betting Association which said that gambling taxes should be left to the national authorities.
The bill maintains proposals to revise taxes related to emissions trading, e-waste, tobacco, and carbon offsets. It also includes the Corporate Resources for Europe (CORE) proposal. The CORE would require annual one-off investments from EU businesses generating more than €100 million in revenue.
The wider budget aims to fund priorities including defence, energy security, technological innovation and workforce training. Ireland’s draft sets a spending ceiling of €1.62 trillion in 2025 prices, equivalent to approximately €1.85 trillion in current prices.