Top five EU states push for tax transparency

France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK have agreed to more automatic exchanges of banking data to fight tax evasion, increasing pressure on Austria and Luxembourg to give up their veto on the equivalent EU bill.

In a joint letter to the EU commission sent on 9 April 2013, the finance ministers of the five largest EU countries say they have agreed on a "pilot" project of "automatic information exchange" aimed at fighting tax evasion.

• Primary Source

ESO: Background information: Offshore tax havens rocked by bank account leaks http://www.europeansources.info/record/offshore-tax-havens-rocked-by-bank-account-leaks/

ESO: Background information: Luxembourg open to bank secrecy changes http://www.europeansources.info/record/luxembourg-open-to-bank-secrecy-changes/

BBC News, 10.04.13: France's President Hollande: Eradicate tax havens http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-22094194

EUObserver, 25.04.13: EU seeks quick deal on tax transparency http://euobserver.com/economic/119943

Spiegel Online International, 21.05.13: Corporate Tricks: EU Faces Tough Battle to Close Tax Loopholes http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/eu-faces-tough-battle-to-curb-tax-avoidance-and-evasion-a-900900.html

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