Euro zone: Can countries have different levels of social welfare?
The levels of generosity of social welfare systems vary widely across euro -zone countries. Is this possible in a currency area? No, if social welfare is financed by distortionary taxes ( negative for employment and competitiveness), such as corporate social contributions; Yes, if social welfare is financed by non-distortionary taxes, such as VAT or employees' social contributions. Unfortunately, the differences between levels of generosity of social welfare are reflected in differences between the weight of corporate social security contributions, a tax that generates major distortions on employment and competitiveness, and therefore market shares.