Activities of Paul TANG related to 2020/2254(INL)
Plenary speeches (1)
Fair and simple taxation supporting the recovery strategy (continuation of debate)
Amendments (18)
Amendment 3 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 20 a (new)
Citation 20 a (new)
— having regard to the resolution of the European Parliament on the implementation of the EU requirements for exchange of tax information: progress, lessons learnt and obstacles to overcome (2020/2046(INI)),
Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the unprecedented impact and magnitude of the COVID-19 crisis on the economy has led to a decrease in tax revenues and an increase in fiscal expenditures to protect society and the economy, and is leading to a sharp increase in government debt; whereas tax fraud and, tax evasion and tax avoidance undermines government revenues, as well as the sustainability of public finances and, taxation systems and tax fairness; whereas it is paramount to keep taxes low to support the sustainable growth of the economy, while not undermining a sufficient income to the budget;
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas current international corporate tax rules are no longer suitable in the context of digitalisation and globalisation of the economy; whereas developments of digitalisation create aopportunities and challenges in terms of traceability of economic operations and taxable events;
Amendment 62 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4 a. Highlights that a sustainable recovery strategy should consider the ongoing low interest rates and increasing inflation across the Union; is concerned that under these economic circumstances, the tax burden increasingly moves from capital gains towards labour; considers high mobile workers to constitute a further complication; calls upon the Commission to assess policy measures in the area of personal income taxation, such as a minimum tax rate, wealth tax and inheritance tax, to ensure a fair allocation of taxes among Member States and a fair distribution of the tax burden among its citizens;
Amendment 68 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Is of the opinion that better estimates of overall tax losses in the Union are essential for efficient proposals on ways to effectively reduce tax losses; welcomes the creation of the EU tax observatory and recommends the Commission to find means to perpetuate this action that was initiated by a pilot project of the Union annual budget;
Amendment 74 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6 a. Considers that tax certainty would be reinforced if Member States had a common understanding of what tax incentives are not distortive; calls on the Commission to issue guidelines on tax incentives that are not distortive for the Single Market;
Amendment 81 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Notes that the Union decision- making process is not promoting change, as tax policy is a national prerogative and subject to unanimity; recalls the existence of Article 116 TFEU; regrets that the current situation sometimes leads to an uneven or inconsistent application of tax regulations; calls on the Commission and the Member States to ensure more harmonised and consistent tax rules and their implementation, to protect the functioning of the single market and to assure the principle of “taxing where profit is generated”;
Amendment 103 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Observes that the current EU VAT system remains too complex, especially for SMEs, and vulnerable to fraud, while generating high compliance costs for economic operators8 ; notes that the different measures to tackle tax fraud are adopted in the Member States; recalls that the modernisation of the VAT system and the shift towards a more coherent VAT system across the Union should be addressed urgently9 ; _________________ 8As per the EPRS’ EAVA (September 2021), the VAT gap, including cross- border VAT evasion and fraud, could be estimated at around €120 billion in 2020, page 42. 9As per the EPRS' EAVA (September 2021), the estimated added value of the extended cooperation between the Member States plus the full implementation of the OSS could bring a reduction of est. €29 billion of the VAT gap, and a reduction of est. €10 billion in compliance costs for businesses, page 39.
Amendment 112 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10 a. Notes that the Commission, with the new proposals, should take into account the specific needs of SMEs and create a level playing field via requirements based on threshold when relevant;
Amendment 135 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Welcomes the efforts of the Commission to address the problem at least partially by introducing various initiatives, but stresses the high importance of the Union in contributing to the success of global negotiations towards the ongoing necessary reforms; welcomes the announcement made by the Commission to implement both Pillars of the Inclusive framework via directives before the end of 2022; stresses that while the Commission's actions would not undermine the OECD initiatives, the specificities of the Union and its Single market might require an expansion of the level of ambition;
Amendment 140 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Notes that the reduction of the estimated gap10 due to corporate tax avoidance at around EUR 35 billion per year from the previous Commission estimations of EUR 50-70 billion before anti-BEPS measures were introduced and the correlation between an improvement and the legislative efforts on tax avoidance carried out by the Commission; stresses that situations where some firms are still able to reduce their tax bill is undermining fair competition in the single market and often harming the competitiveness of SMEs; recalls that the tax gap due to corporate tax avoidance can amount up to EUR 190 billion when special tax arrangements, inefficiencies in collection and other practices are taken into account; _________________ 10 COM(2020) 312 final, page 5. There are other estimations, for example by the European Parliament, with estimated losses from financial crime, tax evasion and tax avoidance amounting to EUR 190 bn. Based on the OECD's comprehensive work in the Base Erosion Profit Shifting report (BEPS), Action 11, global revenue losses before any of the anti-BEPS measures were decided amounted to some USD 100-240 billion or 0.35 per cent of global GDP. The EU Commission estimated that some EUR 50-70 billion was attributable to the EU before the Anti-Tax Avoidance Directives I and II were agreed on by Member States.
Amendment 143 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Welcomes the two-pillar agreement reached at the G7/G20 levels on the allocation of taxing rights and the application of a minimum effective tax rate of at least 15% on the global profits of MNEs; notes the need for effective implementation in the Union and beyond; calls on the Commission to make the necessary legislative proposals to implement the agreement into Union law as quickly as possible after the finalisation of the technical work on the OECD approach; understands that the Commission’s proposal for a Digital Levy has been put on hold and demands the Commission to communicate quickly on the alternatives it is considering, also in the context of the Union's own resources;
Amendment 150 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14 a. Observes that the new working arrangements such as telework bring both challenges and opportunities for workers and employers; underlines the urgent need to better define the notion of tax residency for individuals in view of the new working arrangements that have developed rapidly due to the COVID-19 crisis; highlights that such new working arrangements can have a real impact on the collection of personal income tax, notably due to the proliferation of low tax regimes for non-residents; urges the Commission to issue proposals on the definition of tax residency by 2023;
Amendment 159 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15 a. Emphasises the need to balance the tax mix in order to gradually minimise the impact of labour tax on workers and to increase the contribution of environmental taxes and fair taxes on capital;
Amendment 167 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Considers, however, that the BEFIT initiative should be supported by the political process in building political support for change and that the initiative should be accompanied by a thorough impact assessment to shape future proposals, which should contribute to reaching a consensus between Member States; calls on, therefore, the Commission to initiate a wide inclusive consultation process with stakeholders, Member States, including their national parliaments, and the European Parliament;
Amendment 173 #
18. ConsiderNotes that the new corporate tax agenda should includes a mechanism to address the debt-equity bias through an incentive system, helping to support the resilience of companies in adverse economic circumstances in the future; recalls that, in the past, allowances for corporate equity have been exploited as tax loopholes in the Union; requests the Commission to incorporate strong anti- avoidance provisions to avoid any allowance on equity to be used as a new tool for base erosion if an allowance for corporate equity should be set up; recalls that the reduction of the deduction of exceeding borrowing costs can also reduce the debt- equity bias;
Amendment 183 #
Motion for a resolution
Annex I – Part B – title
Annex I – Part B – title
B. More certainty for taxpayers and/or Member States' tax administrations
Amendment 202 #
Motion for a resolution
Annex I – Part C – Recommendation C2 a (new)
Annex I – Part C – Recommendation C2 a (new)
Recommendation C2 a A Permanent observatory to monitor and quantify trends in European taxation In 2019 the European Parliament initiated the launch of an EU Tax Observatory as a preparatory action. In order to contribute to evidence-based policy making and to stimulate a European debate on international tax issues, the European Parliament calls on the Commission to work on a solution to perpetuate that initiative.