Tax measures must be adopted unanimously by the Member States. The European Parliament has the right to be consulted on tax matters, except on budgetary-related issues, for which it is co-legislator.

The power to tax is in the hands of the Member States, with the EU having only limited EU competences. As EU tax policy is geared towards the smooth running of the single market, the harmonisation of indirect taxation was addressed before direct taxation. The fight against harmful tax evasion and tax avoidance has become a recent policy priority.

Fight against tax fraud and evasion - 8th parliamentary term

&nbsp;Arelatively recent phenomenon, the collaborative economy has become to the centre of the interest&nbsp;a decade in some areas of activities, such as car-sharing or short-term lets. Although it is now a well-known term – with alternative names from the 'sharing' to 'gig' to 'peer-to-peer' economy – it remains difficult to grasp precisely, beyond the central feature that potential consumers and providers are connected via a digital platform that matches demand and supply, providing cheap access to information on a very large scale.

These 'match-makers' make it possible for non-professional providers to offer goods and servicesin a wide range of activities, generating value and with the potential for further development.

The success of collaborative platforms has raised concerns regarding workers’ rights and unfair advantages these firms might enjoy over traditional companies that are bound by stricter legal regulations. Taxation issues in the collaborative economy increasingly highlight the need for an in-depth look into taxation, focusing on the link between the value created and tax, and the need for a level playing field for incumbent business facing competition from these new entrants to the market.

See more on this topic by visiting our package&nbsp; for the 8th parliamentary term.

Collaborative economy

Tax policy, including the fight against tax fraud, has become a hot topic over the past decade due to journalistic investigations such as LuxLeaks, the Panama Papers, Football Leaks, Bahamas Leaks and the Paradise Papers, which revealed tax leaks and tax havens. The latest finacial data-leak revealed by the media is Pandora papers.

During October II plenary MEPs voted for a resolution on Pandora papers, where they identified what they see as the most urgent measures the EU needs to take to close loopholes that currently allow for tax avoidance, money laundering and tax evasion on a massive scale. They also called for legal action to be taken by the Commission against EU countries that do not properly execute existing laws. MEPs reserved particular criticism for present and former prime ministers and ministers of EU member states whose activities were revealed by the Pandora Papers.

Tax policy has remained EU countries' own responsibility since the EU’s beginning, but the fight against tax fraud is shared by EU countries and the EU.

In November MEPs gave their final green light to new rules obliging big multinationals to publicly declare the taxes they pay in each EU country, in order to undermine tax avoidance. Multinationals and their subsidiaries with annual revenues over €750 million - and which are active in more than one EU country - will now have to publish the amount of tax they pay in each member state. This information will also need to be made publically available on the internet, using a common template and in a machine-readable format.

Since September 2020, the Parliament has had a permanent sub-committee on tax matters. The committee was established to assist the economic and monetary affairs committee with taxation issues and deals with the fight against tax fraud, tax evasion and tax avoidance, as well as financial transparency in taxation.

Fight against tax avoidance

REGI - Exchange of views with Laura Kövesi, European Chief Prosecutor, on frauds linked to ESI funds and on the cooperation with EU institutions

EP Plenary session - Need for urgent update of the EU list of high-risk third countries for anti-money laundering and terrorist financing purposes

EP Plenary session - Protection of the EU’s financial interests - combating fraud - annual report 2021

EP Plenary session - Rules to prevent the misuse of shell entities for tax purposes

EP Plenary session - Protection of the European Union’s financial interests - combating fraud - annual report 2020

EP Plenary session - Minimum level of taxation for multinational groups

EP Plenary session - Urgent need to adopt the minimum tax directive

EP Plenary session - Disclosure of income tax information by certain undertakings and branches

Tax transparency trilogue.- Roundtable

EP Plenary session -  Reforming the EU policy framework to stop tax avoidance in the EU after the OpenLux revelations

EP Plenary session - Administrative cooperation in the field of taxation

Constitutive meeting of 5 new Special Committees - Tax Matters (FISC)

EP Plenary session - Joint debate - VAT fraud and payment service providers

EP Plenary session - Joint debate - VAT fraud and payment service providers - Requirements for payment service providers - Measures to strengthen administrative cooperation in order to combat VAT fraud

EP Press conference - Adoption of the final report of the special committee on financial crimes, tax evasion and tax avoidance

Plenary session  - Report on financial crimes, tax evasion and tax avoidance

EP Press conference - Presentation of findings and recommendations after adoption of the report by the Special committee on financial crimes, tax evasion and tax avoidance

TAX3 committee meeting. Report on Financial Crimes, Tax Evasion and Tax Avoidance

This Infoclip illustrates the following companies : Google, AB InBev Belgium, Apple and Amazon.

Infoclip: Aggressive tax planning (Multinationals) - Part 2

Meeting of the Special Committee on Tax Rulings 2, in the EP in Brussels. Vote on the report by Michael THEURER (ALDE, DE) and Jeppe KOFOD (S&amp;D, DK). Opening and announcement of the results from the vote by Alain LAMASSOURE, Chairman of the Special Committee on Tax Rulings and Other Measures Similar in Nature or Effect (TAXE 2)

TAXE2 - report by Michael THEURER (ALDE,DE) and Jeppe KOFOD (S&D,DK): extracts from the vote (recorded on 21/06)

This Infoclip illustrates the following companies : FIAT, IKEA, McDonald's, Starbucks Coffeeshop, Philip Morris, ING Bank and Credit Agricole Bank.

Infoclip: Aggressive tax planning (Multinationals) - Part 1

Debate on Panama Papers - proposal to set up a Committee of Inquiry to investigate alleged contraventions and maladministration in relation to money laundering, tax avoidance and tax evasion, during the EP plenary session (06-09 June) in Strasbourg.&nbsp;Vote

Panama Papers - Proposal to set up a Committee of Inquiry to investigate alleged contraventions and maladministration in relation to money laundering, tax avoidance and tax evasion: extracts from the vote

Debate on the Rules against certain tax avoidance practices, report by Hugues BAYET (S&amp;D,BE), during the EP plenary session (06-09 June) in Strasbourg.&nbsp;Statements by Hugues BAYET (S&amp;D, BE), Rapporteur, Pierre MOSCOVICI, Member of the EC in charge of Economic and Financial Affairs, Taxation and Customs, Ludek NIEDERMAYER (EPP, CZ), Emmanuel MAUREL (S&amp;D, FR), Sander LOONES (ECR, BE), Eva JOLY (Greens/EFA, FR)

Rules against certain tax avoidance practices: extracts from the debate on the report by Hugues BAYET (S&D,BE)

Meeting of the EP Conference of Presidents in the presence of Martin SCHULZ, EP President, on Panama papers, during the EP plenary session (9-12 may2016) in Strasbourg. Arrival and roundtable. Cutaways of Klaus WELLE, EP Secretary-General, Sophia IN'T VELD (ALDE, NL), Marine LE PEN (ENF, FR), David BORRELLI (EFDD, IT), Syed KAMALL (ECR,UK),&nbsp;Gianni PITTELLA (S&amp;D, IT), Gabriele ZIMMER (GUE, DE) and Rebecca HARMS (Greens/EFA, DE)&nbsp;

Meeting of the EP Conference of Presidents in the presence of Martin SCHULZ, EP President, on Panama papers: arrival and roundtable

Meeting of the Special Committee on Tax Rulings and Other Measures Similar in Nature or Effect (TAXE 2) with EU National Parliaments, on the Anti-Tax Avoidance Package, in the EP in Brussels. Statements by Pieter DUISENBERG, Chair of the standing committee on Finance of the Dutch House of Representatives,&nbsp; Stephen QUEST, Director-General, DG TAXUD (EC), Christos BGIALAS, Greek Parliament, Eric BANKI, Hungarian Parliament, Lord DAVIES of Stamford, House of Lords (UK), Jeppe KOFOD (S&amp;D, DK), Rapporteur, Danuta Maria HUBNER (EPP, PL).&nbsp;

The Anti-Tax Avoidance Package: extracts from the exchange of views with EU National Parliaments

Debate on the Effectiveness of existing measures against tax evasion and money laundering in light of recent Panama paper revelations, during the EP plenary session (11-14 April 2016) in Strasbourg. Statements by Jeanine HENNIS-PLASSCHAERT, Dutch Minister of Defence, Pierre MOSCOVICI, Member of the EC in charge of Economic and Financial Affairs, Taxation and Customs, Pablo ZALBA BIDEGAIN (EPP, ES), Giovanni PITTELLA (S&amp;D, IT), Bernd LUCKE (ECR, DE), Sylvie GOULARD (ALDE, FR), Fabio DE MASI (GUE/NGL, DE), and Philippe LAMBERTS (Greens/EFA, BE)

Effectiveness of existing measures against tax evasion and money laundering in light of recent Panama paper revelations: extracts from the debate

Press conference by Jonathan HILL, Member of the EC in charge of Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union, on the Proposal for public country-by-country reporting, during the EP plenary session (11-14 April 2016) in Strasbourg.

Proposal for public country-by-country reporting: extracts from the press conference by Jonathan HILL, Member of the EC in charge of Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union

Illustration footage on Panama papers. General views of Panama cities and of the building hosting Mossack Fonseca. News articles, graphics and first page titles from different newspapers regarding the Panama Papers case and online publications. From 00:05 to 00:45, source: AP. © The Associated Press. The material is offered for the purpose of providing information and/or education on the European Union until 12/04/2021. The assignment to a third part is not allowed. For any other uses contact AP – www.aparchives.com From 00:45 to end, source: © European Union, 2016 - Audiovisual Services EP.

Infoclip: Panama papers

Meeting of the TAXE2 committee with representatives of multinational corporations including Apple, Google, IKEA and McDonalds, in the EP in Brussels. With the participation of Cathy Kearney, Vice President of European Operations, and Julia MACRAE, Tax Director EMEIA (Europe, Middle East, India, Africa) for&nbsp;APPLE,&nbsp;&nbsp;Adam COHEN, Head of Economic Policy (Europe, Middle East and Africa) for GOOGLE,&nbsp;S&oslash;ren HANSEN, Chief Executive Officer for&nbsp;Inter-IKEA Group,&nbsp;Irene YATES, Vice President, Corporate Tax for McDONALD'S.

Exchange of views with representatives of multinational corporations: including Apple, Google, IKEA and McDonalds at the TAXE2 committee

Meeting of the Special Committee on Tax Rulings&nbsp;and Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs with Pierre MOSCOVICI, Member of the EC in charge of Economic and Financial Affairs, Taxation and Customs in the EP in Brussels. Statements by Pierre MOSCOVICI, Member of the EC in charge of Economic and Financial Affairs, Taxation and Customs, Pablo ZALBA BIDEGAIN (EPP, ES), Elisa FERREIRA (S&amp;D, PT) and Ashley FOX (ECR, UK)

Exchange of views with Pierre MOSCOVICI, Member of the EC in charge of Economic and Financial Affairs, Taxation and Customs: extracts from the meeting

Official visit by Martin SCHULZ, EP President to Tunisia. - Visit of the Bardo National Museum and tribute to the victims of the terrorist attack (18/05/2015). Meeting with Habib ESSID, Prime Minister of Tunisia and statement by Martin SCHULZ, EP President

Official visit by Martin SCHULZ, EP President to Tunisia: Visit of the Bardo National Museum and tribute to the victims of the terrorist attack (18/05/2015) meeting with Habib ESSID, Prime Minister of Tunisia and statement

Debate on the Commission decision adopted on the Corporate Tax Package during the EP plenary session (01-04/02) in Strasbourg. Statements by Pierre MOSCOVICI, Member of the EC in charge of Economic and Financial Affairs, Taxation and Customs, Alain LAMASSOURE (EPP, FR), Elisa FERREIRA (S&D, PT), Sander LOONES (ECR, BE), Michael THEURER (ALDE, DE) and Eva JOLY (Greens/EFA, FR).

Commission decision adopted on the Corporate Tax Package: extracts from the debate

Martin SCHULZ, EP President meets in Strasbourg with Tim COOK, CEO of Apple, about taxes issue and data protection.

Martin SCHULZ, EP President meets with Tim COOK, CEO of Apple: arrival and welcome

Meeting in Brussels of the Special Committee on Tax Rulings II and the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs, on the Commission’s legislative plans for 2016 in the field of corporate taxation. Statements by Pierre MOSCOVICI, Member of the EC in charge of Economic and Financial Affairs, Taxation and Customs, Burkhard BALZ (EPP, DE), Elisa FERREIRA (S&D, PT), Bernd LUCKE (ECR, DE) and Petr JEZEK (ALDE, CZ).

Exchange of views with Pierre MOSCOVICI, Member of the EC in charge of Economic and Financial Affairs, Taxation and Customs on the Commission’s legislative plans for 2016 in the field of corporate taxation : extracts

Debate on Bringing transparency, coordination and convergence to Corporate Tax policies&nbsp;during the EP plenary session in Strasbourg. Statements by Anneliese DODDS (S&amp;D, UK), rapporteur,Ludek NIEDERMAYER (EPP, CZ), Rapporteur, and Christos STYLIANIDES, Member of the EC in charge of Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management

Bringing transparency, coordination and convergence to Corporate Tax policies: extracts from the debate

Debate on Setting up a special committee on tax rulings and appointments during the EP plenary session in Brussels. Extracts from the vote

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