Tax Subcommitee

After a series of special committees and a committee of inquiry, created to delve into the various tax leaks and scandals of recent years, the European Parliament established a more permanent setup to shed light on the matter.

The subcommittee on tax matters will be composed of 30 members. It will deal particularly with the fight against tax fraud, tax evasion, and tax avoidance, as well as money laundering and financial transparency for taxation purposes.

Sven Giegold MEP, financial and economic policy spokesperson of the Greens/EFA group, who has long called for a subcommittee on tax, comments:

“This is a fantastic success in the fight for tax justice that comes at the right time. Large sums of money which we need to tackle the Corona crisis are trickling away in tax swamps. If the public sector spends a unprecedented amounts of money today, it must also think about tomorrow’s revenues. Instead of making the next generation pay for the recovery, we should put a stop to tax dodging and financial crime. The creation of a permanent subcommittee in the European Parliament is the just beginning of a new battle in the fight for tax justice in Europe.

After years of ad-hoc committees, finally, the Parliament will have a standing body to tackle tax evasion and avoidance. Through all the various tax scandals of the last decade we have been highlighting the need for a permanent subcommittee to look at shine a light on dodgy tax practices.
Tax evasion, avoidance and money laundering are a scourge on our society and only serve to foster inequality and social breakdown. The EU must lead the world in the fight against tax injustices.”