During the plenary session (25-28 March 2019) in the European Parliament in Strasbourg, MEPs debate the report on financial crimes, tax evasion and tax avoidance. Statements by Jeppe KOFOD (S&D, DK), Co-rapporteur, Luděk NIEDERMAYER (EPP, CZ), Co-rapporteur and Pierre MOSCOVICI, Member of the EC in charge of Economic and Financial Affairs, Taxation and Customs.

Strasbourg

debate

plenary session

KOFOD, Jeppe (S&D, DK)

NIEDERMAYER, Luděk (EPP, CZ)

fight against tax fraud and evasion (T)

MOSCOVICI, Pierre (PSE, FR, EC)

Report on financial crimes, tax evasion and tax avoidance: extracts from the plenary debate

SOUNDBITE (English), Jeppe KOFOD (S&amp;D, DK), Co-rapporteur, Take the example of tax evasion and avoidance it costs about 1 trillion euros a year. It means 2,000 Euros per citizen European citizen per year. Money that has to go to hospitals, to schools and to ensure that our society has money for the weakest and the most vulnerable people.

SOUNDBITE (English), Jeppe KOFOD (S&amp;D, DK), Co-rapporteur, Having an effective minimum corporate taxation in Europe is really what we need now in our Single Market to stop the race to the bottom on corporate taxation. That's a first thing and we'll fight for that. Secondly, we need to end harmful cross-border tax practices by member states some member states are facilitating this. They should stop doing this. We should have fair taxes in Europe. On money laundering. We need a centralized process where we cooperate between European countries because today it's too easy to bring in your dirty money and make it clean and use it all over Europe. This is a threat to our financial and economic stability, it's a threat to our justice system.

SOUNDBITE (English), Jeppe KOFOD (S&amp;D, DK), Co-rapporteur, It's a big step forward that this Parliament and Commission and Council has taken to make a list of third countries' non-cooperative jurisdictions. But if you applied some of the same criteria that we use on third countries on European member states we'll see that some of them fall short. They also facilitate aggressive tax planning and that had to stop.

SOUNDBITE (English), Lud&#283;k NIEDERMAYER (EPP, CZ), Co-rapporteur, We must find that new concept how to deal with the new situation in the economy. That's a pity, why the Council is not able to proceed with key initiatives in this area including the Common Consolidated Corporate Tax Base and digital taxation.

SOUNDBITE (English), Luděk NIEDERMAYER (EPP, CZ), Co-rapporteur, It applies to setting up of the tax a minimum effective tax rate. I am very much supporting the work of the OECD in this area, but still I don't support the proposal made by members of parliaments to create 18 percent minimum effective tax rate. I believe that many areas in the area of taxation are the matter of the competences of member states.

SOUNDBITE (English), Luděk NIEDERMAYER (EPP, CZ), Co-rapporteur, We call in our report to ban all Golden visa or similar instruments and increase the transparency of due diligence requirements in the meantime before this will be fulfilled.

SOUNDBITE (French), Pierre MOSCOVICI, Member of the EC in charge of Economic and Financial Affairs, Taxation and Customs, I expressed regret at the failure of digital tax, but nonetheless I welcome the fact that there is agreement on 15 non cooperating jurisdictions. I would like to stop us weakening ourselves shooting ourselves in the foot because that weakens our work. Now that the list itself is success it's a credible list.

SOUNDBITE (French), Pierre MOSCOVICI, Member of the EC in charge of Economic and Financial Affairs, Taxation and Customs, But I'd like to conclude on one striking recommendation in the report, and it's a political message as well. For the European elections, for the next parliament as well as for the next commission, for the Council of and that's moving towards qualified majority. I wholeheartedly endorse such a measure, and I suggest we use the passerelle clause to achieve this in the future.