During the EP plenary session (28/02-01/03 2018) in Brussels, debate on a mandatory automatic exchange of information in the field of taxation. Statements by Emmanuel MAUREL (S&D, FR), Rapporteur, and Pierre MOSCOVICI, Member of the EC in charge of Economic and Financial Affairs, Taxation and Customs.

Brussels

debate

plenary session

fight against tax fraud and evasion (T)

MOSCOVICI, Pierre (PSE, FR, EC)

MAUREL, Emmanuel (The Left, FR)

Mandatory automatic exchange of information in the field of taxation: extracts from the debate

https://api.multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/documents/20125/16934946/I151364Chapters%5BSD-EN%5D.srt

SOUNDBITE (French), Emmanuel MAUREL (S&amp;D, FR), Rapporteur, <p>This is a small but noteworthy victory, and white-collar crime, fraudsters, those actively planning to divert profits and intermediaries are encompassed by this. Ladies and Gentlemen, there is a whole industry around tax optimisation with these discreet businesses,and we are calling for them to be accountable for the arrangements they put in place with the monies that they invest, and all the arrangements they put in place by way of aggressive tax planning will now need to be reported to the tax authorities, or they will face penalties.</p>

SOUNDBITE (|French), Emmanuel MAUREL (S&amp;D, FR), Rapporteur, All the information gathered wil have to be exchanged automatically between Member States, any progress here is welcome. Member States competing to drive taxes down in competition and sometimes it is onle when forced that people report, and they will be now.

SOUNDBITE (French), Emmanuel MAUREL (S&amp;D, FR), Rapporteur, We wil have to report dubious tax arrangements to tax authorities, this is an obligation on auditors, and of course big companies involved in tax arrangements will be obliged to do that. We require all tax arrangements, even ones going back several years be reported, if they are still in vigour.

SOUNDBITE (French), Pierre MOSCOVICI, Member of the EC in charge of Economic and Financial Affairs, Taxation and Customs, <p>We need more transparency, the simple idea being that we need to bolster the Member States capacity to prevent and detect aggressive tax planning, which denies our governments and citizens of resources which they are legitimately entitled to. That's why in June the EC adopted a proposal to shed greater light on practices being used by these intermediaries. In a nutshell, we are talking about forcing tax advisers to disclose to the tax authorities some of their cross border actions, not all but those which may help them avoid taxation.</p>

SOUNDBITE (French), Pierre MOSCOVICI, Member of the EC in charge of Economic and Financial Affairs, Taxation and Customs, The Member States have agreed to have automatic information exchange, cross border tax decisions. I still feel that information should be made public, and agreement has been reached on a new rule giving tax authorities access  to information on money laundering, following the revelations of the Panama Papers, and I am not forgetting the April 2016 proposal either to have country by country tax declarations for multinationals, made public. This will allow citizens, civil society to monitor the tax arrangements more closely.