Brussels, 24/03/2014 (Agence Europe) - On Monday 24 March, the European Commission formally requested that Luxembourg provide it with requested information about tax practices as part of a bigger investigation to see whether certain member states' tax systems provide selective advantages to certain companies and thus violate EU state aid rules. Luxembourg has a month to respond to the injunction, failing which it might be referred to the European Court of Justice. Luxembourg has so far only provided general information about “tax ruling practices” rather than the requested overview of rulings it took in 2011 and 2012. Likewise for information about its intellectual property tax regime and information about the hundred largest companies falling under the regime. Luxembourg is refusing to respond on the grounds that this would violate confidentiality in taxation matters, but the Commission says that “the Commission is entitled to request any information it deems necessary for a state aid investigation, and member states are under a duty to respond. Confidential fiscal information remains adequately protected, as the Commission is itself bound by rules of confidentiality”. (EL)