Have you tried to run a business? Any business? In any European country or the US?
Probably the only European country that can follow the tax/accounting rules to the book is Denmark. They have high taxes, but very simple tax code. The rest (and the US) are the maze of regulations, exceptions, exceptions to exceptions, applicable limits and human interaction. People are safe from machines here. Sadly.
I ran businesses for the past 25 years in NL, DE, UK, PT and ES. I agree the regulations are a maze if you want to maximize profits when it comes to taxes. I cannot agree you need that to run a healthy company; you do not. Following the base rules (which can be automated and we do) is fine; sure you pay too much compared to navigating the maze but it is clear. The worst countries (paperwork wise) I operate in are Spain and Portugal but even there things can be simple if you overpay a bit (like sometimes just not ask for VAT back because it takes more time to fill the required paperwork than it is worth). None of that is endangering my operations; If it would I would be concerned about my business viability and the margins I am making... Why would I even start such a business in the first place?
Probably the only European country that can follow the tax/accounting rules to the book is Denmark. They have high taxes, but very simple tax code. The rest (and the US) are the maze of regulations, exceptions, exceptions to exceptions, applicable limits and human interaction. People are safe from machines here. Sadly.