News
Taxation and Customs Union
M.Monti: Italy will push for speedy and conclusive discussions on the Commission's taxation proposals...
31/01/2012
Commissioner Šemeta met today with the Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti for an informal discussion. They touched upon a number of taxation themes that are on the EU agenda today, which were partially inspired by Mr. Monti's report on the re-launch of the Single market in May 2010.
In the meeting Prime Minister Monti confirmed that Italy will push for speedy and conclusive discussions on the Commission's taxation initiatives. Italian Prime Minister strongly supported Commissioner's approach to be rigorous against tax evasion - both in the EU and beyond.
Connecting customs for growth
26/01/2012
The International Customs Day 2012 is dedicated to "interconnectivity", and how customs can connect where borders divide. It provides a good opportunity to reflect on how customs can contribute to smoother and safer trade, generating growth and jobs.
Within the EU, businesses and citizens have benefited from the Customs Union for more than 40 years. The European Commission and 27 national administrations have found ways to interconnect and work as one. Customs administrations and traders operate on the basis of a mutual trust contract enabling goods to be delivered directly at destination. There is space for improvement and new measures are on the way. EU customs is working on the IT development, to bring even more benefits to traders and consumers.
A.Šemeta: Bendra pelno mokesčio bazė naudinga Lietuvos verslininkams 
26/01/2012
Pasirodžius įvairiems svarstymams ir vertinimams dėl pelno mokesčio, Europos Komisijos narys Algirdas Šemeta paneigia sklandančius mitus ir atkreipia dėmesį į svarbius faktus, kurie viešoje diskusijoje liko nustumti į paraštę.
Pirmiausiai apie sklandančius mitus ir "džinus". Mano pateiktas Bendros konsoliduotos pelno mokesčio bazės pasiūlymas neišleido jokio džino. Mano ir Europos Komisijos pozicija nepasikeitė: mokesčių tarifai yra kiekvienos šalies reikalas. Pasiūlyme nėra nei vieno žodžio apie tarifų suvienodinimą.
Netgi priešingai, bendra konsoliduota pelno mokesčio bazė leidžia atskleisti "uždangą". Dabar valstybių narių taikomus pelno mokesčių tarifus sunku palyginti, nes jie skaičiuojami pagal skirtingas taisykles. Bendra konsoliduota pelno mokesčio bazė gali parodyti realią situaciją – kurioje šalyje tarifai iš tiesų yra palankiausi investicijoms.
Nesiūlau įdiegti vienos pelno mokesčio bazės visose šalyse. Atvirkščiai. Siūlau verslui pasirinkimą ir alternatyvią sistemą. Įmonės galėtų pasirinkti, pagal kokią sistemą nori skaičiuoti pelno mokesčio bazę. Tie verslininkai, kurie neplanuoja plėstis į kitas ES šalis ar nacionalinės taisyklės jiems atrodo priimtinesnės, galėtų toliau dirbti pagal šalių nustatytas sistemas. Tie, kurie mato ES sistemos naudą – galėtų ja naudotis.
Dar vienas svarbus faktas. Mokesčių srityje sprendimai ES priimami vienbalsiai. Kiekviena šalis turi veto teisę. Bendros konsoliduotos pelno mokesčio bazės klausimu jau prasidėjo diskusijos tarp ekspertų Taryboje ir Lietuva yra aktyvi šių diskusijų dalyvė.
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Developing the One Stop Shop for cross border VAT compliance
13/01/2012
Brussels, 13 January 2012 – Doing business in more than one Member State often means dealing with several tax administrations in different languages. Dealing with multiple VAT obligations can be very burdensome and costly for companies. The proposal adopted today is a first step towards a One Stop Shop for all electronically delivered services that will benefit businesses as from 1st January 2015. As set out in last December's Commission Communication on the future of VAT (see IP/11/1508 ), the One Stop Shop approach for EU trade across borders will be applied first to e-commerce, broadcasting and telecom services. In the future the Commission will seek to extend the One Stop Shop step by step to other goods and services.
Algirdas Šemeta, Commissioner for Taxation, Customs, Anti-fraud and Audit said: "The complexity of the current EU VAT system is an obstacle to doing business in the Single Market. The One Stop Shop will greatly facilitate cross border expansion of European start ups. This in turn will help to generate growth and jobs".
Commissioner Šemeta optimistic about the progress on FTT with the Danish Presidency
12/01/2012
12 January, 2012, Copenhagen. In the meeting of the European Commission with the Danish Presidency, Commissioner Šemeta encouraged Denmark to be active in the negotiations on Financial transaction tax for Europe.
"I am optimistic about the progress in the first half of 2012. Our focus remains on reaching agreement at 27. We would like all European countries to enjoy the benefits of our proposed tax. This is about fairness and the legitimate expectations of citizens across Europe," – Commissioner Šemeta said after the meeting.
Anti-Fraud
Euro coin counterfeiting in 2011
27/01/2012
Brussels , 27 January 2012 – The number of counterfeit euro coins removed from circulation has decreased by 15%, down to 157 000 coins compared to 186 000 the year before. The 2-euro denomination remains by far the most counterfeited euro coin, representing almost two thirds of all counterfeit euro coins detected. The low levels of counterfeit euro coins are the result of the combined efforts of the Member States, the Commission/OLAF (the EU's anti-fraud office) and the other European institutions.
The overall number of counterfeit coins is very small by comparison to the total number of around 16 billion genuine euro coins put into circulation of the three highest denominations (50c, 1€, 2€). This corresponds to 1 counterfeit for every 100 000 genuine coins.
Algirdas Šemeta, EU Commissioner responsible for Anti-Fraud said: "Shopkeepers, small businesses and citizens are particularly at risk of receiving fake coins and notes. Fighting counterfeit money is therefore crucial to protect honest taxpayers. I am very happy that the euro is well protected through the work of OLAF. We will continue our efforts to detect illegal money and root out these illegal activities across Europe."
Appointment of the new OLAF Supervisory Committee
24/01/2012
Brussels, 24 January 2012 – The European Parliament, the Council and the European Commission today formally approved the appointment of the new members of the Supervisory Committee of the European Anti-Fraud Office, OLAF.
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