WRITTEN QUESTION No. 474/96 by Nel van DIJK , Magda AELVOET to the Commission. Tax-free car fuel for Commission officials
Date: 1996-03-01
Institutions: AELVOET, European Parliament, VAN DIJK
Subjects: European official, fuel tax, motor fuel, national law, price net of tax, privilege, public opinion, seat of institution, tax law













EUR-Lex - 91996E0474 - EN






Avis juridique important




|



91996E0474

WRITTEN QUESTION No. 474/96 by Nel van DIJK , Magda AELVOET to the Commission. Tax-free car fuel for Commission officials  


Official Journal C 217 , 26/07/1996 P. 0051 





WRITTEN QUESTION E-0474/96 by Nel van Dijk (V) and Magda Aelvoet (V) to the Commission (1 March 1996)Subject: Tax-free car fuel for Commission officialsHas an arrangement existed since March 1992 whereby senior Commission officials have the privilege of purchasing 100 litres of petrol or 80 litres of diesel per month tax-free?Can the Commission indicate:- how many Commission officials made use of this arrangement in 1995?- how many litres of fuel were sold under this arrangement in 1995 and at what price?- approximately how much the arrangement costs to administer (including wage costs)?- which budget item the administration of the arrangement is charged to?Does the Commission agree that this arrangement is contrary to the statements of both the Commission and the European Parliament concerning the need to reduce car traffic, inter alia by increasing the price of car use to reflect environmental costs?Ought not Commission officials to be encouraged to use public transport, particularly in a city which has such traffic problems as Brussels does?Do Commission officials also enjoy such privileges as an annual duty-free alcohol and tobacco allowance and exemption from VAT on motor vehicles and other consumer 'durables'?Does the Commission agree that such perquisites are somewhat excessive, given that the senior officials in question are among the best paid in the Union?Does the Commission agree with the President of the European Parliament that these facilities give an impression of the European civil service which is no longer in keeping with the times, and that they are therefore hard to justify?Is the Commission, like the President of the European Parliament, prepared to participate in consultations on the abolition of these privileges between the institutions and with the competent authorities of the countries where the Community institutions are located?Answer given by Mr Liikanen on behalf of the Commission (25 April 1996)The rules governing certain tax-free purchases apply not only to Commission officials but to officials of all the European Institutions, including Parliament.Contrary to the implication contained in the question, the cost of these tax-free purchases is not met by the Community budget but by the host country, in accordance with the national tax scheme.The benefits deriving from tax-free purchases by officials of the European Institutions working in Brussels are therefore subject to the agreement of the Belgian State.The Secretaries-General of the European Institutions will be discussing the problems raised by the Honourable Members, particularly from the point of view of public opinion, at one of their forthcoming meetings.