Algirdas Semeta, comisarul european pentru taxe si impozite, sustine ca unele tari din Europa au devenit adevarate paradisuri fiscale pentru marile companii, legislatia lor permitandu-le sa evite plata taxelor pentru incasari. Apple, Google, Yahoo!, Microsoft si alte mari companii americane profita de legislatia irlandeza pentru a evita plata a zeci de miliarde de dolari in taxe catre guvernul american, alte tari europene permit acelasi lucru, insa totul e va schimba in viitorul nu foarte indepartat.
EU Tax Commissioner Algirdas Semeta said some European Union nations have made it too easy for companies to avoid taxes by shifting income to countries outside the 27-nation bloc. “Some member states have fairly loose or relatively liberal double-taxation agreements with third countries,” Semeta said in a Brussels speech today to the Friends of Europe group. “These very loose agreements actually allow aggressive tax planners to shift their profits through EU member states to third countries and to avoid taxation in general.”
Irlanda, Olanda, Luxembourg si Austria sunt cateva dintre tarile care au asemenea legislatii, iar Comisia Europeana va incerca sa gaseasca metode de a le obliga sa devina mai agresive in ceea ce priveste legislatia fiscala. Practic aceasta este o noua metoda de a obtine bani de la marile corporatii, bani care trebuiau sa ajunga in conturile statelor, insa au ajuns in conturile unor companii straine, conrolate in totalitate de catre cele care trebuiau sa plateasca taxele.