Brussels, 06/03/2015 (Agence Europe) - Upon request from France, the Ecofin Council will hold a brief debate on 10 March about erosion of the tax basis and the transfer of profits overseas by multinationals (known as BEPS, after the name of an OECD action plan).
The matter will be further discussed at a ministerial meeting in Riga in April in preparation for the European Summit in June. On 10 March, the Latvian Presidency of the Council of the EU will brief ministers on progress in this field. France is expected to speak at the meeting and wants the Council to make a firm commitment to move on the issue. On 18 March, the European Commission will unveil draft changes to the EU directive on administrative cooperation to make the automatic exchange of information on tax rulings compulsory (see EUROPE 11268), and another batch of draft legislation is due to be revealed in June (re-launching ACCIS and boosting the company taxation code of conduct). In the light of the work of the special committee on tax rulings at the EP, a third package of draft legislation may be unveiled towards the need of the year. The Ecofin Council discussed the BEPS plan in October and December 2014. (Élodie Lamer)