WRITTEN QUESTION E-0545/00 by William Newton Dunn (PPE-DE) to the Commission. British stamp duty discriminating against British businesses.
Date: 2000-02-28
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: United Kingdom, discrimination on the basis of nationality, financial transaction, infringement of EU law, share, stamp duty, type of business

3.10.2000

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 280 E/217

(2000/C 280 E/258)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0493/00

by Antonio Tajani (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(24 February 2000)

Subject: Proper execution of an invitation to tender for the supply of meal vouchers, issued by the Italian

Ministry of the Treasury

Can the Commission check whether the invitation to tender issued by the Italian Ministry of the
in December 1998 for the supply of meal vouchers for

1.
Treasury (Government Stationery Office)
ministerial employees was properly executed?

The tender was to the value of ITL 180 billion on an annual basis, to be split into three equal parts.

2.
Is the Commission aware of the fact that, further to the decision by the Regional Administrative
Tribunal (TAR) to uphold the allegations of the unsuccessful companies and to suspend the award of the
contract, and following the refusal by the Court of Auditors to give its seal of approval to the tender
documents, the Italian Ministry of the Treasury cancelled the invitation to tender, issuing a new one to the
value of ITL 180 billion, to be divided into three parts on a renewable yearly basis?

Answer by Mr Bolkestein on behalf of the Commission

(23 March 2000)

The Commission would be particularly grateful to the honourable Member if he could forward the
information he has on the infringements of Community law on public contracts that are alleged to have
occurred in connection with the invitation to tender issued by the Ministry of Finance in Italy.

The Commission has no knowledge of any facts that would allow it to contact the relevant Italian
authorities to check that the procedure in question complied with the provisions referred to above.

On the basis of the information that the honourable Member will be kind enough to provide, the
Commission will launch an investigation to see if there are any infringements of Community law on public
contracts and to take any action laid down in the EC Treaty that proves necessary in order to ensure, if
need be, that the procedure in question again complies with Community law on public contracts.

(2000/C 280 E/259)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0545/00

by William Newton Dunn (PPE-DE) to the Commission

Subject: British stamp duty discriminating against British businesses

(28 February 2000)

Bearing in mind one of the principles of the treaties, i.e. that there must be no discrimination between
citizens of the European Union, is it legal for the British Government to levy stamp duty on individual
transactions in shares in British companies but to allow transactions in shares in non-British companies to
be exempt from stamp duty?

Answer given by Mr Bolkestein on behalf of the Commission

(6 April 2000)

The Commission is collecting the information it needs to answer the question. It will communicate its
findings as soon as possible.