Maltese MEP Alfred Sant told ECON that he is all in favour of coordinating measures that ensure transparency in taxation on the profits of companies within the EU, but against convergence in the taxes that should be applied by the different member states of the EU. ‘I am all out for transparency in reporting how taxes are being applied, but I am very dubious about proposals for convergence of taxation among all EU states,’ he said.
Dr. Sant was reacting to the report “Bringing transparency, coordination and convergence to Corporate Tax policies in the European Union” at the Economic and Monetary Committee (ECON) of the European Parliament.
He emphasized that as the report opens the prospect of coordination among member states in setting taxation policies that would lead to tax convergence among them, he would be voting against the report.
Dr Sant argued that while coordination was acceptable when carried out to secure the same approach across Europe towards transparent reporting regarding how taxes were being levied on companies, this should not mean that coordination had to be carried forward to include convergence of national tax systems.
‘So that when we vote, I will be voting yes for transparency but not yes for convergence.’ Said Dr. Sant. Conceptually when the report mentioned coordination, it needed to distingusih between coordination of policies to ensure transparency in tax reporting, which is desireable, and coordination to ensure tax convergence, which is not acceptable.
Last year the European Parliament authorised the drafting of this report, following the Luxleaks revelations by a consortium of journalists in November 2014, which revealed that many multinational companies concluded secret deals with the Luxembourg Finance Ministry that allowed them massive reductions of their tax liability.
Maltese Version – ‘IR-RATI TAT-TAXXI M’GĦANDHOMX IKUNU L-ISTESS FIL-PAJJIŻI KOLLHA TAL-UE’
Il-Kap tad-delegazzjoni Maltija Laburista Alfred Sant qal li hu favur aktar koordinament u trasparenza fit-taxxi, imma hu kontra li r-rati tat-taxxi jkunu l-istess fost l-istati membri kollha tal-Unjoni Ewropea. . ‘Hemm bżonn issir distinzjoni bejn trasparenza sħiħa fil-ġbir tat-taxxi, li kulħadd jaqbel magħha, u l-argument li hemm bżonn aktar qrubija bejn it-taxxi tal-pajjiżi differenti, li jiena ma naqbilx magħha. Ninsab favur it-trasparenza imma dubjuż ħafna dwar il-proposti ta’ konverġenza tat-taxxi.’ Dr. Sant qal dan f’intervent fil-Kumitat Ekonomiku u Monetarju (ECON) fi Brussell dwar rapport fuq il-ħtieġa ta’ trasparenza fit-taxxi li jiġu ċċarġjati fl-Ewropa u dwar kif it-taxxi fuq qligħ jistgħu jinġabu qrib l-istess livelli għall-pajjiżi kollha.
Dr Sant emfasizza li fir-rapport jeħtieġ li jkun hemm tifsira ċara fuq livell kontestwali tal-kelma ‘koordinament’. ‘Qed nirreferu għal koordinament fit-trasparenza jew koordinament fir-rati tat-taxxi u fil-politika ta’ tassazzjoni?’ staqsa Dr Sant. Hu qal li jekk ir-rapport jirreferi għal koordinament fil-konverġenza tar-rati tat-taxxi fi ħdan l-istati membri tal-Unjoni, hu kien se jivvota kontra r-rapport. Min-naħa l-oħra jekk il-koordinament qed jirreferi għal koordinament fit-trasparenza, hu kien se jivvota favur.
Dr. Sant qal li bħalissa hemm numru ta’ membri parlamentari Ewropej oħra fil-kumitat tal-ECON li wkoll għandhom id-dubji tagħhom dwar is-suġġett. ‘Il-kunċett ta’ koordinament għadu ambigwu. Għandu jkun hemm distinzjoni bejn ‘trasparenza’ u ‘konverġenza’ ħalli l-vot ikun trasparenti wkoll. Jekk nivvotaw, inkunu qed nivvutaw iva għal trasparenza u mhux neċessarjament iva għal konverġenza’. Qal Dr Sant.
Is-sena l-oħra l-Parlament Ewropew awtorizza l-abbozz ta’ dan ir-rapport wara li f’Novembru tal-2014 ħareġ l-iskandlu Luxleaks li kien żvela kif kumpaniji multinazzjonali kbar kellhom ftehim sigriet mal-awtoritajiet tal-Lussemburgu li permezz tagħhom iffrankaw miljuni kbar ta’ taxxi. Ir-rapport, li sar bħala reazzjoni għal dan l-iskandlu, jelenka numru ta’ miżuri taħt it-titlu: trasparenza, koordinament u konverġenza.
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