Mobility
Performers often travel abroad to seek new employment opportunities. Some may do so because they are hired to perform in international productions or with a touring company. Some may be drawn by a better offer of employment opportunities. However, employment and social security are fundamentally a national matter and performers are often subject to multiple regimes that may profoundly affect their eligibility to social security, pension, unemployment and other benefits in their home country. The employment status of a same performer may fundamentally change from country to country as the ability for that performer to enjoy minimum protection under labour law.
Double taxation is an unwanted but common occurrence among travelling artists who are generally subject to withholding tax in the country of performance but often fail to benefit from adequate tax credits in their residence country. Where countries have signed bilateral agreements to avoid double taxation, these do not always work for artists in practice.
FIA advocates for international OECD standards to be amended and for artists to be treated like any other employed worker, taxed only in the country of residence when work abroad is limited in time, or self-employed persons, predominantly taxed in the country of residence.
FIA is also a member of On The Move, a European network seeking to raise awareness about mobility issues affecting professional artists and advocating for measures to address these problems. The Federation enhances international cooperation and solidarity among its membership to extend the benefits of union agreements to performers working abroad and encourages partnerships with other industrial sectors to secure acceptable terms and conditions for performers employed there, e.g. on cruise ships.
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05.11.2018
Launch of the Dance Passport: A Union Solidarity Network...
ROTTERDAM, 6 November 2018: the International Federation of Actors (FIA) and its European members representing dancers launch the...[more]
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11.07.2018
Two Joint Positions from the European Live Performance...
The European Sectoral Social Partners in the Live Performance Sector, constituted by Pearle* Live Performance Europe on the...[more]
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30.01.2018
Third meeting of the Dance Futures steering group,...
The steering committee of the project "Dance Futures - Creating Transition Schemes for Dancers and Promoting Sustainable...[more]
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06.10.2017
Report from the Dance Passport Meeting
The Dance Passport Meeting took place on September 26th, in Warsaw, Poland. This meeting was organised within the framework of...[more]
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21.12.2016
Dance Futures: First meeting of the steering group
Dance is more a vocation than a profession. But the dancing career is intensive, insecure and short. Dancers are a highly...[more]
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15.12.2014
European Mobility Resources for Mobile Performers
Are you trying to organise an artistic project abroad, touring, or taking up a foreign engagement? Such opportunities can throw...[more]
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19.06.2014
Artists' mobility, social security and taxation in the EU...
Brussels, 19th-20th June – FIA participated in the two-day seminar on Artists' mobility, social security and taxation in the EU,...[more]
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13.11.2013
Euro FIA/ On The Move Joint Seminar on Performers’ Mobility...
The Euro FIA seminar, which was held in Brussels on November 13 and kindly hosted by ACOD-Cultuur, focussed on “Frequent Problems...[more]