This work aims to explore the main distortions arising from the economic double taxation of distributed profits in three member states of the European Union: Portugal, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. It presents a comparative analysis of the tax implications of this form of double taxation from a legal point of view. To this end, both domestic laws and international tax treaties are analyzed, inward and outward investment is covered and dividend income tax burdens are ascertained having regard to those taxes that directly influence the effective dividend income tax rate.