Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-09-06-Speech-3-392"
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"en.20000906.17.3-392"2
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"Mr President, there are different types of undeclared work. It can be difficult drawing the line between undeclared and properly declared work. Sometimes, the blame has to be placed upon individuals who do undeclared work in order to dodge paying tax.
The serious cases of undeclared work are those that are organised as such. More often than not, many workers are involved, and the reason is that there are employers who organise, lead and distribute work that will go undeclared in order to keep wage costs down and reduce taxes for themselves. That is the heart of the matter.
In many quarters, organised undeclared work is well-known, both among the local population and the authorities. In those cases where no action is taken against such work, this may be because unemployment is high and poor people have no alternative to being exploited by employers who do not declare their employees.
There is also a tax argument which plays a big part in Mrs Glase’s thinking. This subject has already been taken up in the debate. Mrs Jöns observed quite correctly that in those regions and countries where the level of tax is fairly – or even very – high, where the labour market is well organised and where workers have strong unions, there is almost no undeclared work at all, at least not in any organised form.
If Mrs Glase and her group want to reduce tax in order to make undeclared work less profitable, this is as good as saying that they want to legalise the economic calculations behind undeclared work and make them the general rule. It is like increasing the speed limit on the roads to reduce the number of drivers who break the law by driving too fast, or like legalising the drugs trade to reduce the amount of illegal drug dealing.
I was quite shocked to read the rapporteur’s original report in which she proposed that all employees in European workplaces should be forced to carry electronic cards so as constantly to be monitored by the authorities. I believe it is the employers who organise production and take on workers. If anyone is to be compelled to carry electronic cards, it is therefore these employers, who are responsible for the work that is done.
My group and I believe that fighting unemployment and poverty is the best, and in fact the only, way of properly combating organised undeclared work. Improved wages are a much better remedy than lower taxes and other concessions to irresponsible employers."@en1
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