ECJ ruling on tax avoidance in Belgium: Bitter setback in the fight against tax avoidance

The European Court of Justice today ruled that the EU Commission’s decision to reimburse tax benefits of 700 million euros granted by the Belgian state to 35 companies is not in line with EU law. The spokesperson for Bündnis 90/Die Grünen in the European Parliament, Sven Giegold, said:

“The ruling is a bitter setback in the fight against tax avoidance in Europe. However, it is important to stress that the ruling does not refer to the big cases such as Apple, IKEA or Starbucks. Nevertheless, the ruling shows that state aid law alone cannot put an end to tax dumping in Europe. We need binding transparency in company taxes. The German Federal Government’s blockade of public tax transparency for large companies must be ended. In order to be able to adopt effective measures against tax dumping, the unanimity principle in tax matters must be lifted in the European Council. The unanimity principle is the brake for more tax justice in Europe.”