The European Commission pressed ahead with plans for a corporate tax overhaul Wednesday despite defeat in an EU court over its bid to force Apple to pay more tax in Ireland.
The EU executive body redoubled its vow for multinationals and digital companies to “pay their fair share” and set out a series of measures, including an effort to help tax commerce on platforms such as Uber and Airbnb.
“A
single ruling is not discouraging our commitment in this sense, I would
say on the contrary,” Economy Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni said at a
press conference in Brussels.
The Commission’s action plan
includes 25 measures to come in the next four years to “harness the
potential of data and new technologies, to better fight tax fraud,
improve compliance and reduce administrative burdens,” it said in a
press statement.
Actions
include fighting fraud, simplifying tax administration for businesses
and helping EU countries enforce the law by sharing more information.
“The
goal is very clear: to make life easier for honest taxpayers and harder
for those actively trying to cheat the system,” Executive Vice
President Valdis Dombrovskis said at the same news conference.
The need, he added, was “made even more clear by today’s ruling.”
He
was referring to Wednesday’s judgment by the EU’s lower tribunal, which
annulled the Commission’s 2016 decision ordering Ireland to recover €13
billion from Apple. The Commission had found that Ireland’s tax
treatment amounted to illegal state aid, giving the tech giant an
advantage over competitors.
“We will study it very carefully and
consider next steps,” Dombrovskis said. The decision can be appealed to
the Court of Justice....