12 October 2015

Tackling Tax Avoidance: EU Commission updates information on third countries listed by Member States for tax purposes

The Commission has carried out a technical update of the consolidated version of Member States' lists of third countries for tax purposes, as referenced in the Action Plan for Fair and Effective Taxation (IP/15/5188). The update reflects changes in Member States' assessments of third countries' tax good governance standards, corrections to national lists and Estonia's decision to withdraw all countries from its national list. 

The consolidated list is part of the EU's external agenda against corporate tax avoidance and aims to introduce more transparency into national listing processes across the EU, while also encouraging third countries to engage with Member States on tax good governance matters. The steps taken by the EU contribute to enhancing the dialogue between the jurisdictions and the Member States that list them, and encourage Member States to re-examine their national listings to ensure that they are correct and up-to-date. 

The ultimate goal is to develop a common EU approach, giving Member States collective strength in addressing risks to their tax bases and provide greater legal certainty for businesses and international partners. The Commission has already started discussions with Member States to this end and intends to present a wider strategy against external risks of tax avoidance in 2016. 

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