WRITTEN QUESTION P-2220/99

by Theresa Villiers (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(19 November 1999)

Subject: Tax discussions

1. What meetings have been held in the last month to discuss elements of what is known as the Monti tax package, and what meetings are scheduled for the same purpose in the next two months?

2. Specifically, what tax matters have been discussed at the meetings held during the last month, and what matters are due to be discussed at upcoming meetings?

3. In the interests of transparency, will the Commission provide Parliament with summary reports of these meetings and with any documents on which discussions have been based?

Answer given by Mr Bolkestein on behalf of the Commission

(3 December 1999)

1. and 2. The following is a list of the meetings with Member States which have taken place since 1 October 1999. The tax package is due to be discussed at the European Council in Helsinki on 10 and

11 December 1999. Apart from that, there is no information at present on what, if any, further meetings will take place in the next two months on the subject of the tax package.

The code of conduct group met on 14 and 15 October 1999 and on 27 October 1999 when a few outstanding issues and a first draft of the group's final report were discussed. Revised drafts were prepared, considered and further developed at meetings on 3 and 4 November 1999 and 12 November 1999 and the report of the group was presented to the Ecofin Council meeting on 29 November 1999.

On the proposal for a directive on the taxation of savings income there was a Council working group technical meeting on 6 October 1999 on certificate procedure and elimination of double taxation.

At the Ecofin Council on 8 October 1999 reports were presented on the promotion of the principles of the proposed directive in the dependent and associated territories of Member States. At a Council working group high level meeting on 19 October 1999 there was a general discussion on a possible redrafting of the savings directive. There was a Council ad hoc meeting at political level on 28 October 1999 on outstanding issues of the tax package. The Ecofin Council on 8 November 1999 examined the tax package as a whole. A meeting organised by the Presidency with market operators took place on 18 November 1999, there was a Council working group meeting on 22 November 1999, and the proposal was discussed at the Ecofin Council on 29 November 1999.

On the proposal for a directive on interest and royalty payments a Council working group meeting took place on 26 October 1999 on all issues outstanding. A further Council working group meeting on outstanding issues took place in the afternoon of 17 November 1999. The proposal was discussed along with the other two elements of the tax package at the Ecofin Council on 29 November 1999.

3. As all the meetings listed above are Council meetings, the official reports of these meetings and all working documents discussed at the meetings are the responsibility of the Council. The Commission does not, therefore, have the authority to supply these documents to the Parliament. However, the Commissioner responsible for the internal market has undertaken to be available to the relevant parliamentary committees to discuss and explain in person the position of the Commission on policy issues, and he discussed the tax package with the Economic and monetary committee on 25 November 1999.