Brussels, 11/06/2007 (Agence Europe) - “When I'm speaking for the harmonisation of the tax base, I'm not representing Hungarian interest but the Community interest. Mr McCreevy is representing the national interest of Ireland”, said Laszlo Kovacs, taxation commissioner, in an interview published on Thursday 8 June on the internet portal euobserver.com. He went on to say: “But it is the Council where national interest is to be represented by the Ministry of Finance. Mr Mc Creevy is no longer the minister of finance of Ireland. He used to be but now he is a member of the European Commission who should represent the Community interests”.
Within the Commission, the Directorate General responsible for the internal market should be that which most actively supports the proposal of the taxation services, which aim to present a proposal for a directive in 2008 for the creation of a Common Consolidated Corporate Tax Base (CCCTB). But that is not the case. Responsible for the internal market, Mr McCreevy never loses an opportunity to undermine the work of Mr Kovacs' services (see EUROPE 9365). The former Irish finance minister is convinced that European harmonisation of the corporate tax base would lead to a harmonisation of rates. Mr Kovacs has always refused such an idea (see EUROPE 9429). At the Commission, questions are being raised about the impact that the CCCTB would have on the Irish people's support for Europe more generally, given that it is to vote on the future EU treaty by referendum. (mb)