Positioning Your Business for the Future: CSR Europe’s Tax Responsibility & Transparency Index
Why should companies care about tax? Because fair and transparent taxation isn’t just a legal duty—it’s a cornerstone of good governance, public trust, and long-term business success. That’s why CSR Europe and the Fair Tax Foundation created the Tax Responsibility & Transparency Index (TR&TI): a powerful tool helping businesses turn tax strategy into a driver of credibility, resilience, and leadership.
Why should businesses care about taxes?
Reliable infrastructure, effective institutions, and well-functioning services—education, healthcare, transport, digital systems—are essential to every business. These systems are funded through taxation. Transparent and responsible tax practices are not just about legal compliance—they’re about securing the long-term stability of the business environment, maintaining public trust, and demonstrating credible governance.
In response to growing expectations from investors, policymakers, and society, CSR Europe, together with the Fair Tax Foundation, developed the Tax Responsibility & Transparency Index (TR&TI). This practical tool helps multinational businesses evaluate and enhance their tax strategies and governance against the highest international standards and upcoming regulations such as the EU’s Public Country-by-Country Reporting Directive.
What is the TR&TI?
The TR&TI is a benchmarking tool co-created through 12 months of dialogue with civil society, business, academia, and investors. It assesses companies across five key areas:
Policy & Strategy
Management & Governance
Stakeholder Engagement
Transparency & Reporting
Contribution & Narrative
The Index includes 30 questions for a total score of 100 points and focuses primarily on corporate income tax, but is adaptable to other tax domains. It integrates with frameworks like GRI 207, the Fair Tax Mark, and the UN PRI.
Why use the TR&TI?
By using the TR&TI, companies can:
Benchmark against top performers and peer companies
Identify improvement areas and receive actionable technical guidance
Strengthen governance and increase investor confidence
Improve brand credibility and maintain their license to operate
Top scores in the index are around 70%, making it a high-bar benchmark for leadership. Participating companies receive an anonymized Score Card Report and a transparent overview of the methodology—enabling internal improvements or public disclosure.
Beyond Assessment: Unlocking Strategic Value
The TR&TI is more than a tool—it’s a gateway to collaborative learning. Participating companies gain access to exclusive workshops and dialogues with peers to explore how tax transparency can become a driver of corporate responsibility and strategic value.
Curious how it works in practice?
Explore the testimonial from Fortum, a leading energy company, to see how the TR&TI helped them strengthen their tax governance and stakeholder engagement.
To learn more or schedule a one-on-one session, contact:
Martina Cappelli, Senior Project Manager – mc@csreurope.org
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