European role developed about tax that stops at different levels (8)
I believe the answer is:
elevator
'that stops at different levels' is the definition.
'european role developed about tax' is the wordplay.
'european' becomes 'e' (abbreviation e.g. EU).
'developed' indicates anagramming the letters.
'about' is an insertion indicator.
'tax' becomes 'vat' (British sales tax).
'role' anagrammed gives 'leor'.
'leor' going around 'vat' is 'levator'.
'e'+'levator'='ELEVATOR'
(Other definitions for elevator that I've seen before include "one that goes up and down" , "Gentle caress" , "An American lift in building" , "Farm herd" , "Cage that is raised and lowered mechanically in a vertical shaft" .)