Press Release: Tough debate with multinational companies on corporate tax practices

The European Parliament's special committee on tax rulings held a five-hour debate with eleven multinational companies on 16 November 2015. These companies had declined the committee's first invitation to appear before it, but later changed their minds and accepted its last chance invitation. Of the 13 original invitees, only Fiat Chrysler and Walmart declined the final invitation.

Prior to the meeting, EP's political group coordinators decided to ask its political leadership, the Conference of Presidents (EP President and political group leaders), to propose prolonging the committee’s mandate by six months. The coordinators felt they needed more time to access and analyse documents and also to monitor legislative initiatives in the corporate taxation field.

• Primary Source

ESO: Background information: Fairer corporate taxes: Special Committee on Tax Rulings votes recommendations http://www.europeansources.info/record/press-release-fairer-corporate-taxes-special-committee-on-tax-rulings-votes-recommendations/

European Parliament: Newsroom: Press Release, 16.11.15: Taxing issue: multinationals respond to EP proposals to make them pay their fair share http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/news-room/content/20151112STO02501/

EUObserver, 17.11.15: Multinationals deny wrongdoing EU in tax hearing https://euobserver.com/economic/131137

The Guardian, 16.11.15: MEPs accuse US multinationals of diverting profits to low tax havens http://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/nov/16/meps-accuse-us-multinationals-of-diverting-profits-to-low-tax-havens

Politico, 16.11.15: MEPs give digital firms hard time on tax http://www.politico.eu/article/meps-digital-firms-hard-time-on-tax-luxleaks-testimony-facebook-google-amazon/

EurActiv, 17.11.15: Tough debate with multinational companies on corporate tax practices http://www.euractiv.com/sections/euro-finance/google-facebook-and-amazon-forced-face-meps-tax-questions-319573

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