Members' Research Service By / July 3, 2017

Public country-by-country reporting by multinational enterprises [EU Legislation in Progress]

Tax transparency has gained particular importance as a tool in the fight against tax avoidance and tax evasion, particularly in the field of corporate income tax and aggressive tax planning. Cooperation between tax authorities aims at allowing them to obtain information covering the global business of multinational enterprises (MNEs), and progress has already been made in this area.

© BrunoWeltmann / Fotolia

Written by Cécile Remeur (3rd edition, updated on 25.04.2019),

Puzzle Earth
© BrunoWeltmann / Fotolia

Tax transparency has gained particular importance as a tool in the fight against tax avoidance and tax evasion, particularly in the field of corporate income tax and aggressive tax planning. Cooperation between tax authorities aims at allowing them to obtain information covering the global business of multinational enterprises (MNEs), and progress has already been made in this area.

A further step in tax transparency would be to broaden it by providing publicly available information relating to tax paid at the place where profits are actually made. Public country-by-country reporting (CBCR) is the publication of a defined set of facts and figures by large MNEs, thereby providing the public with a global picture of the taxes MNEs pay on their corporate income.

The proposal is being considered by the European Parliament (EP) and the Council. In the EP, the amendments put forward by the ECON and JURI committees were voted on 4 July 2017. In the absence of a Council position enabling negotiations on the proposal, the Parliament adopted its position at first reading in plenary on 27 March 2019.

Interactive PDF

Proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Directive 2013/34/EU as regards disclosure of income tax information by certain undertakings and branches
Committees responsible (jointly under Rule 55): Legal affairs (JURI)
Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON)
COM(2016) 198 12.4.2016

2016/0107(COD)

Ordinary legislative procedure (COD) (Parliament and Council on equal footing – formerly ‘co-decision’)

 

Rapporteurs: Hugues Bayet (S&D, Belgium)
Evelyn Regner (S&D, Austria)
Shadow rapporteurs: Rosa Estaràs Ferragut (EPP, Spain)
Dariusz Rosati (EPP, Poland)
Sajjad Karim (ECR, UK)
Pirkko Ruohonen-Lerner (ECR, Finland)
Ramon Tremosa i Balcells (ALDE, Spain)
Jean-Marie Cavada (ALDE, France)
Jiří Maštálka (GUE/NGL, Czech Republic),
Miguel Viegas (GUE/NGL, Portugal)
Pascal Durand (Greens/EFA, France)
Ernest Urtasun (Greens/EFA, Spain)
Laura Ferrara (EFDD, Italy)
Jörg Meuthen (EFDD, Germany)
Next steps expected: Council general approach

 


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