Fair Taxation: Commission Presents New Measures Against Corporate Tax Avoidance

European Commission – Press release – Brussels, 28 January 2016

Today’s proposals aim for a coordinated EU wide response to corporate tax avoidance, following global standards developed by the OECD last autumn. New rules are needed to align the tax laws in all 28 EU countries in order to fight aggressive tax practices by large companies efficiently and effectively.

The European Commission has today opened up a new chapter in its campaign for fair, efficient and growth-friendly taxation in the EU with new proposals to tackle corporate tax avoidance. The Anti Tax Avoidance Package calls on Member States to take a stronger and more coordinated stance against companies that seek to avoid paying their fair share of tax and to implement the international standards against base erosion and profit shifting.

Key features of the new proposals include:

• Legally-binding measures to block the most common methods used by companies to avoid paying tax;
• A recommendation to Member States on how to prevent tax treaty abuse;
• A proposal for Member States to share tax-related information on multinationals operating in the EU;
• Actions to promote tax good governance internationally;
• A new EU process for listing third countries that refuse to play fair.

Collectively, these measures will hamper aggressive tax planning, boost transparency between Member States and ensure fairer competition for all businesses in the Single Market.

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