In the first semester of 2016, the Netherlands are chairing the Council of the EU. This also applies to the Code of Conduct Group (CoCG) on Business Taxation which is dedicated to eliminate harmful tax measures.
On 2 February 2016, the CoCG discussed the presidency work programme. Notably missing was the topic of outbound payments, contrary to what had been agreed under the Luxembourgish presidency last autumn.
During an exchange of views of 18 February, Mr Dijsselbloem, in his capacity as current ECOFIN President and Minister for Finance of the Netherlands, was asked why the topic of outbound payments was deleted from the work programme and how this relates to the fact that the Netherlands is known as the perfect gate for money to flow out of the EU untaxed. In his answer, Mr Dijsselbloem stated that he had not been aware of the issue, but that he would consult with his services with a view to providing a follow-up answer to the question in due course.
In order to remind Mr Dijsselbloem of his commitment to provide an answer on the matter, together with Fabio de Masi (GUE/NGL) I wrote a letter to Mr Dijsselbloem and to Mr Wiebes, State Secretary for Finance of the Netherlands, who was asked the same question but didn’t answer either.
You can find the letter here: Letter to Dijsselbloem and Wiebes
We hope to receive an answer in a timely manner.