Miżuri ta’ kompetizzjoni fiskali huma essenzjali għall-pajjiżi ekonomikament żvantaġġati

L-eks Prim Ministru Alfred Sant ivvota favur Rapport tal-Parlament Ewropew dwar il-lezzjonijiet li jistgħu jinsiltu mill-“Pandora Papers”. Huwa qabel mal-għanijiet tar-Rapport li għandu jkun hemm kontroll fuq il-miżuri meħuda b’mod illeġittimu minn stati u minn kumpaniji li jagħtu lok biex ditti, individwi għonja jew li jkollhom konnessjonijiet tajba sew ma’ ċentri tal-poter ikabbru ġidhom b’mod abbużiv u jevitaw li jħallsu t-taxxi dovuti minnhom. Minkejja dan, Sant esprima riżervi dwar kif ir-Rapport imil lejn fehma li tqis il-kompetizzjoni fuq it-taxxa bħala li hi xi ħaġa ħażina minnha nnifisha.

Fl-istess waqt, Alfred Sant esprima riżervi qawwijin għall-mod kif ir-Rapport jirreferi għall-hekk imsejħa passaporti tad-deheb, ‘golden passports’, bħala “oġġezzjonabbli mil-lat etiku, legali u ekonomiku”. Huwa ammetta li filwaqt li hu nnifsu għandu riservi dwar il-mod kif jintużaw dawn il-passaporti, dawn ir-riżervi mhumiex għar-raġunijiet imsemmija.

Il-‘Pandora Papers’ huma l-akbar ġabra ta’ data sigrieta li ġiet żvelata għall-pubbliku dwar il-ġid moħbi, l-evażjoni tat-taxxa u l-ħasil tal-flus li jitwettqu mill-aktar nies sinjuri u influwenti fid-dinja. Din id-data kienet ġiet żvelata fit-3 ta’ Ottubru 2021 mill-Konsorzju Internazzjonali ta’ Ġurnalisti Investigattivi (ICIJ). Il-‘Pandora Papers’ urew kif individwi b’valur nett għoli huma assistiti minn intermedjarji biex jipproteġu d-dħul u l-assi minn tassazzjoni u mill-Iskrutinju tal-liġijiet viġġenti.

L-Ewroparlamentari Laburista Sant saħaq li “miżuri ta’ kompetizzjoni fiskali huma għodda essenzjali għal xi Stati Membri biex jikkumpensaw għal nuqqas ta’ riżorsi naturali u/jew żvantaġġi ekonomiċi li jpoġġuhom fi żvantaġġ kompetittiv”. Huwa nnota li miżuri bħal dawn huma totalment leġittimi u ġew u għadhom qed jiġu applikati b’modi differenti mill-Istati Membri Ewropej ewlenin u mill-Istati Uniti. “Kien biss meta stati iżgħar adottaw il-prattika huma wkoll li bdew jitqajmu oġġezzjonijiet”,  sostna.

Ir-Rapport ġie adottat b’271 vot favur, 169 vot kontra u 68 astensjoni.

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Tax competition measures are essential for economically disadvantaged countries

Former Prime Minister Alfred Sant voted in favour of a European Parliament Report on the lessons learnt from the Pandora Papers. He agreed with the Report’s aims to control illicit state and corporate practices that enable firms, wealthy or well-connected individuals to abusively amass wealth and avoid paying taxes. Nevertheless, Sant expressed reservations with the bias in the Report that considers tax competition as an inherently bad thing. 

In parallel, Alfred Sant strongly disagreed with the Report’s reference to so-called golden passports as “objectionable from an ethical, legal and economic point of view”. He admitted that while he has reservations about the way golden passports are used, these reservations are not on the grounds mentioned. 

The Pandora Papers are the largest trove of leaked data about the hidden wealth, tax avoidance and money laundering of and by the world’s rich and powerful. This leaked data was revealed on 3 October 2021 by the  the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ). The Pandora Papers showed how high-net-worth individuals are assisted by intermediaries to shield income and assets from fair taxation and scrutiny.

Labour MEP Sant stressed that “tax competition measures are an essential tool for some Member States to compensate for a lack of endowments and/or economic handicaps that place them at a competitive disadvantage”. He noted that such measures are totally legitimate and have been and are still being applied in different ways by major European Member States and the United States. “It was only when smaller states also adopted the practice that objections began to be raised”, he claimed.

The Report was adopted with 271 votes in favour, 169 votes against and 68 abstentions.