European Parlaiment: MEPs quiz experts on better designing taxation to help the economic recovery

18 November 2020

MEPs discussed with experts ways in which taxation systems should be reformed to ensure big multinationals, traders and the wealthiest persons contribute more to the economic recovery.

Grace Perez Navarro, Deputy Director of the OECD's Centre for Tax Policy and Administration, Joaquim Miranda Sarmento, Professor of Finance at the University of Lisbon, and Liina Carr, Confederal Secretary at ETUC, all gave testimony in front of the EP’s subcommittee on taxation matters (FISC) on Monday.

Opening the meeting, the Chair of the sub-committee, Paul Tang (S&D, NL) said that the economic crisis caused by the pandemic increases the need to secure tax revenues are delivered in a fair and sustainable way. More than ever, better coordination of tax policies at EU level can help alleviate this crisis and support the green and digital transition, he added.

MEPs stressed the need to reduce the tax burden on SMEs and normal people, shifting it instead to those who could and should be paying more taxes. To this end discussions focussed on ways to develop the financial transactions tax, recalibrate corporate taxation and develop eco taxes. MEPs also quizzed the experts on how to better address money laundering and blatant tax evasion.

You can watch the discussion again here.

The presentations made by the experts, as well as their biographies are available here.

EP

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