I have a little experience in several EU countries, and if there's any correlation, it's generally in the other direction, with the higher-tax ones generally be

I have a little experience in several EU countries, and if there's any correlation, it's generally in the other direction, with the higher-tax ones generally being better places to do business (I doubt this is a causal relationship, though). The issue with southern Europe is that the government is corrupt, slow, and non-transparent, and regulations are unpredictable and inconsistently enforced. For example, Denmark's taxes are about 1.5x Greece's (50% of GDP versus 35% of GDP, overall). But Denmark is generally a nicer and easier place to do business. The bureaucracy is large and expensive, but in return for all the money it costs, you get quick, non-corrupt, predictable service. You can register a company in literally hours (online!), for example, while it takes weeks in lower-tax Greece.