1.GENERAL QUESTIONS
1.1 Why is the Commission presenting a Tax Transparency Package?
The Commission has made the fight against tax evasion and corporate tax avoidance a political priority, with a view to creating a socially and economically more efficient Single Market.
While much has been done to advance this agenda in recent years (see below), there is ample evidence that more measures are needed before Member States are sufficiently equipped to tackle these problems effectively. This is particularly the case in the field of corporate taxation, where there is clearly room for improvement when it comes to Member States' cooperation against aggressive tax planning and harmful tax regimes.
At a time when citizens are making huge efforts and many small businesses are struggling to remain afloat, the ability of certain - mostly multinational - companies to minimise their taxes through aggressive tax planning is intolerable. Corporate tax avoidance not only eats into Member States' much-needed revenues, but it also damages public morale and creates competitive disadvantages for companies that cannot, or will not, engage in abusive tax practices.
However, Member States cannot tackle this problem through purely national measures. Corporate tax avoidance is wide-scale and global and aggressive tax planners use complex, cross-border techniques to minimise their tax liability. The problem is exacerbated by the fact that many Member States have set up tax regimes designed to encourage multinationals to shift profits to their jurisdiction.
The current low level of transparency in corporate taxation enables these practices to continue unchallenged, because Member States lack information on the impact that other countries' tax regimes are having on their own. It also means that loopholes between national tax regimes go unnoticed and are left open for aggressive tax planners to exploit.
Therefore, in order to re-establish the link between taxation and real economic activity and to effectively tackle corporate tax avoidance, the Commission has identified tax transparency as a priority. The measures put forward today should help to inject greater openness into Member States' corporate tax regimes and to make companies more accountable for their tax practices. (...)
1.1 Why is the Commission presenting a Tax Transparency Package?
The Commission has made the fight against tax evasion and corporate tax avoidance a political priority, with a view to creating a socially and economically more efficient Single Market.
While much has been done to advance this agenda in recent years (see below), there is ample evidence that more measures are needed before Member States are sufficiently equipped to tackle these problems effectively. This is particularly the case in the field of corporate taxation, where there is clearly room for improvement when it comes to Member States' cooperation against aggressive tax planning and harmful tax regimes.
At a time when citizens are making huge efforts and many small businesses are struggling to remain afloat, the ability of certain - mostly multinational - companies to minimise their taxes through aggressive tax planning is intolerable. Corporate tax avoidance not only eats into Member States' much-needed revenues, but it also damages public morale and creates competitive disadvantages for companies that cannot, or will not, engage in abusive tax practices.
However, Member States cannot tackle this problem through purely national measures. Corporate tax avoidance is wide-scale and global and aggressive tax planners use complex, cross-border techniques to minimise their tax liability. The problem is exacerbated by the fact that many Member States have set up tax regimes designed to encourage multinationals to shift profits to their jurisdiction.
The current low level of transparency in corporate taxation enables these practices to continue unchallenged, because Member States lack information on the impact that other countries' tax regimes are having on their own. It also means that loopholes between national tax regimes go unnoticed and are left open for aggressive tax planners to exploit.
Therefore, in order to re-establish the link between taxation and real economic activity and to effectively tackle corporate tax avoidance, the Commission has identified tax transparency as a priority. The measures put forward today should help to inject greater openness into Member States' corporate tax regimes and to make companies more accountable for their tax practices. (...)
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