With 282 votes in favour, 300 against and 30 abstentions, the European Parliament on Tuesday 12 December rejected the motion for a resolution by Kira-Marie Peter-Hansen (Greens/EFA, Danish) on the role of taxation in times of crisis.
The MEP proposed new taxes to offset the negative effects of the Covid-19 crisis and respond to the energy crisis and inflation (see EUROPE 13224/22). In particular, she had suggested the creation of a permanent tax on excess profits in all sectors.
She wanted to ask the European Commission to carry out an in-depth global analysis of the tax system.
“Disappointing! It was a close call, but unfortunately I didn’t get any support for a fairer and greener tax system in the EU at a time of crisis”, she said on X (formerly Twitter). “It is unbelievable that so many people are prioritising the right of the mega-rich to fly in private jets without paying taxes over our well-being and the ecological transition”, she added.
MEPs from the EPP, ECR and ID groups voted exclusively - or almost exclusively - against the resolution, while those from the Renew Europe group were very divided.
“Each Member State has the right to set its own tax mix according to its own needs. It is therefore legitimate that there should still be differences between Member States in their responses to the crisis”, argued Martin Hlaváček (Renew Europe, Czech) at the presentation of the text on the eve of the vote, and who abstained. “We need clear rules, not a situation where we have to wait for crises and ask the European Commission what we can and cannot do, and then have the Member States measured against a different criterion”, he said.
Read the draft report: https://aeur.eu/f/84q (Original version in French by Anne Damiani)