mr president i am glad that we are debating these reports within the commissioner's term even if it is only just
the committee has worked hard to ensure that
now in many in fact i would say in most things we have had a mutually supportive dialogue commissioner though of course we have not agreed on everything
for example we agreed on vat for intra-community supplies but disagreed on joint and several liability in the framework of cross-border transactions and in quite a few instances we have both been disappointed by the slowness or lack of backing by member states
ccctb is one of those proposals
but in the face of these disappointments you have brought forward more intensive traditional controls based on cooperation information exchange and data access
so both personally and as chair of the economic and monetary affairs committee i take this opportunity to thank you for your work and enthusiasm during your term of office
as colleagues have said at this time of fiscal stress enabling member states to collect their full dues of taxes is even more important
with this driving force the council must be more progressive in future
those who knowingly scheme to evade and avoid taxes do harm to society and should not expect leniency when they are caught and we must have the tools to catch them
turning specifically to the matter of administrative cooperation i believe that automatic exchange of information is beneficial
it goes along with the savings tax directive which i hope will soon be adopted in council
but your activism in this matter has already created positive developments both within and beyond the eu
i also commend the directive on mutual assistance for recovery of claims but consider a lower threshold for implementation more appropriate
and finally i apologise to you and colleagues for not staying for the rest of the debate but as ever there are double bookings going on in this house
