Parliament, Council and Commission negotiators discuss to agree on new EU rules requiring multinational companies to disclose the amount of tax they pay in each EU country, the so-called country-by-country reporting. These new rules will provide the public and tax authorities with more transparency on what – and where - taxes are being paid. Before the start of the negotiations, Evelyn REGNER (S&D, AT) and Ibán GARCÍA DEL BLANCO (S&D, ES) , co-rapporteurs, make a statement on tax transparency and their expectations for the trilogue.

Brussels

statement

meeting

fight against tax fraud and evasion (T)

financial transaction tax (T)

REGNER, Evelyn (S&D, AT)

GARCÍA DEL BLANCO, Ibán (S&D, ES)

Tax transparency trilogue: statements by Evelyn REGNER (S&D, AT) and Ibán GARCÍA DEL BLANCO (S&D,ES), co-rapporteurs

Title: Tax transparency trilogue: statements by Evelyn REGNER (S&amp;D, AT) and Ib&#225;n GARC&#205;A DEL BLANCO (S&amp;D,ES) , co-rapporteurs

SOUNDBITE (English), Ib&#225;n GARC&#205;A DEL BLANCO (S&amp;D, ES), Rapporteur, The objective of this legislation is to make mandatory public country by country reporting about the time over the operation of the scheme of the large businesses operating in Europe. We are talking about businesses that are up or above 750 million turnover per year. We'd like two to shed light about these operations in order to make them transparent.

SOUNDBITE (English), Ib&aacute;n GARC&Iacute;A DEL BLANCO (S&amp;D, ES), Rapporteur,I think that the question is that for more than five years this file was blocked and now, suddenly, some of the countries changed their minds about this file and the question is as well, that we match it with a Portuguese presidency that are more or less in the same mood that the European Parliament, I mean, this way, I think it was key to unblock these files and we have to take advantage of this moment.

SOUNDBITE (English), Ib&aacute;n GARC&Iacute;A DEL BLANCO (S&amp;D, ES), Rapporteur, There are some some things that are far apart on to another of the positions, but we'll try to fix this gap in order to to make a general agreement. We are so aware that will we won't achieve all our goals. It's impossible. At the end this is a negotiation, but I think that will we will achieve to make a good agreement, trying to do to make the things improve for the future and perhaps in the next years by the development of this regulation, this regulation itself could be improved, but, we've tried to have at least something that could be available. 

SOUNDBITE (English), Evelyn REGNER (S&amp;D, AT), Rapporteur, In order to have transparency, we need to improve the reporting rules for the big multinational companies. We learnt after the big scandals of Lux leaks, Panama Papers and so on, there is a system, there is a system for not paying taxes of Amazon, Google and all the other multinationals. So we need a strengthening of the transparency rules. We must know basic figures in order to pay that the multinationals pay the taxes they have to pay as everybody else is, you and me. SMEs. And the big multinationals have to do the same.

SOUNDBITE (English), Evelyn REGNER (S&amp;D, AT), Rapporteur, Sometimes I have the impression that some governments are acting like lobbyists for the big multinationals. Why do they do that? I can't understand that. The Portuguese presidency did an excellent job. They really worked very actively in order to unblock this situation and we, the European parliamentarians, pushed it so much. So it is really also the job of a group of very ambitious members of the European Parliament. And I tried my best in order to push the Austrian government to change the position. And Austria was really sort of a game changer because there is a fragile majority in the council to go for these negotiations. 

SOUNDBITE (English), Evelyn REGNER (S&amp;D, AT), Rapporteur, There is a light at the end of the tunnel. So the atmosphere during the negotiations is very positive. So I am optimistic, but still there are open questions, so I see a good way to get a deal. But still we have to negotiate until we really have the whole package. So, you know this, nothing is agreed when we haven't an agreement on all the points. And still there are some points open.