Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-11-17-Speech-1-133"
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"en.20031117.9.1-133"2
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"Madam President, I am sorry that the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs and Mrs Kauppi are so negative towards the Commission’s proposal. I naturally respect the fact that many are opposed to tax harmonisation on principle. There is of course a value in countries’ determining their own taxes because these fund a significant proportion of welfare provision which, as is known, differs from one Member State to another. Even if it is important as a matter of principle to stand up for the right of individual nations to determine their taxes, this principle should not, however, be honoured to the point at which it becomes counterproductive. In certain areas, common tax rates have a clear added value. Diesel fuel tax is one such area. There are a number of drawbacks to having different tax rates on diesel fuel in the Member States.
Firstly, different tax rates militate against fair competition between EU companies, for which it costs more in one country than in another to transport their products. It creates an imbalance in competition between companies.
Secondly, this difference encourages what is known as fuel tourism. I have myself worked in the transport industry, driving heavy lorries. I know that drivers travel hundreds of extra kilometres to buy cheap diesel fuel. Not only that, but they attach additional tanks to their lorries so as to be able to fill up with enough fuel to make their journeys that much more profitable. Naturally, this fuel tourism also contributes to further destroying the environment. We work an unnecessary number of hours on the roads, and the number of accidents is increasing. That is the price we have to pay for the large discrepancies that currently prevail in the tax area.
Thirdly, this situation, involving big differences in taxation, creates scope for social dumping. The gap between different transport costs in different countries is widening, and this makes room for social dumping. The environment, road safety, employees’ conditions and fair conditions of competition will be the overall losers if we retain an arrangement within the EU involving large differences in fuel costs."@en1
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