30/04/2004 (Agence Europe) - Chancellor Schröder is calling for 'strengthened cooperation' in the taxation of income and companies. In an interview with Handesblatt on Friday he said that VAT and consumer taxation had been harmonised and he felt it made sense economically to harmonise income tax and company taxation. If we fail, he said, because of certain Member States' vetoes, then we will harmonise among the states prepared to do so. Echoing the idea mooted by Commissioner Frits Bolkestein (on company taxation), he said the European Convention's draft Constitution foresaw the option of strengthened cooperation between states that wished this, and he concluded that this could be applied for taxation policy.