Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-06-12-Speech-3-292"
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"en.20020612.7.3-292"2
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". – Mr President, the programme that we have been discussing tonight, known as the Fiscalis 2007 programme, will continue and extend the existing Fiscalis programme which has been in place since 1998.
Before the Commission decided to propose the Fiscalis 2007 programme, it evaluated the activities and the results of the existing Fiscalis programme. That evaluation was based on Member States' reports on their experience with that programme. The evaluation indicated that Member States viewed the programme as being an essential tool in fostering administrative cooperation between administrations responsible for indirect taxation. Accordingly, the Commission decided that the existing programme activities should continue to be funded by a Community programme.
The Commission also felt that it was necessary, particularly taking into account the conclusion of the Council's ad hoc working party on tax fraud, to propose the extension of the programme to direct taxation. That will mean in future that direct tax administrations will have a tool to help them to work closer together in a manner which has become second nature to indirect tax administrations by means of the Fiscalis programme. The Commission also believes that it is important to give as much support as possible to the countries preparing for the enlargement of the European Union.
For that reason, candidate countries are put on an equal footing with Member States in this programme, which has special objectives to meet the needs of those administrations. I should like to add it is very important that this programme is adopted before the expiry of the current Fiscalis programme.
I and the Commission are therefore extremely pleased that this proposal is supported by the European Parliament. I particularly welcome the positive contribution of Mr García-Margallo y Marfil, the rapporteur for the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs.
Given the fact that examination of this proposal is ongoing in Council and given the Commission's strong desire to have the programme adopted as quickly as possible, I believe that the most appropriate course of action at this time is for the Commission not so much to accept the amendments put forward by the Parliament. In particular, as regards the budgetary issues raised in the reports, Amendments Nos 1 and 2 appear to be counter to the agreements between our respective institutions on budgetary discipline and in substance do no more than repeat what is already found in the proposal as regards the programme's financial framework.
Amendments Nos 3 and 4 go beyond the scope of the Fiscalis 2007 programme which is a purely administrative measure. Amendment No 5 is superfluous, because Parliament is already entitled to obtain the relevant documents. Amendment No 6 would interfere with the proper implementation of the programme. Amendment No 7 is superfluous because the decision already contains provisions on a regular follow-up of how objectives are achieved. Amendment No 8 is also superfluous because the present programme does not have any direct impact on local fiscal authorities and I say this in particular in answer to remarks made by Mr Mayol i Raynal.
May I say that I am personally confident of the fact that an agreement between the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission will be achieved on these issues. The Council has already started to discuss the proposal in detail. It will do its best to reach an agreement as soon as possible. Your support for the proposal is very important in achieving that result. I should like to thank Parliament for that support.
To reply in further detail to Mrs Villiers' remarks, the Commission believes that there are convincing reasons for the programme to be extended to direct taxation, not least because the Council itself, in its ad hoc working party's report, explicitly recommended improved cooperation in direct tax matters. I am very much aware, as perhaps Mrs Villiers knows, of the fact that direct taxation, except where it distorts the internal market, for example in the case of contributions to pension funds across borders, is very much a matter of national political preferences. That is a position I have often defended, both in the Commission and in outside discussions. On that point I agree with Mrs Villiers. But here we are talking about administrative cooperation and the basic issue is combating fraud. I am sure Mrs Villiers dislikes fraud as much as the Commission. Disliking something is one thing, doing something about it is another. If we want to do something about fraud in the area of direct taxation, we must facilitate cooperation between fiscal authorities. With all due respect to Mrs Villiers, I cannot escape the impression that perhaps she is looking at water burning if she objects to cooperation between the fiscal authorities in the field of direct taxation."@en1
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