Cameron’s MEPs vote against reforms to clamp down on tax dodgers

David-Cameron-Lord-Ashcroft David Cameron’s MEPs last night voted against proposals to crack down on “those seeking to hide their money from the tax authorities” – tax dodgers.

In voting against the Domenici report on “Promoting Good Governance in Tax Matters 2009/2174(INI)”, Cameron’s MEPs sought to prevent the automatic exchange of tax information across borders.

The motion, however, was passed overwhelmingly – 553:93 (pp. 43-44).

The only opposition came from Cameron’s European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group, UKIP’s Europe of Freedom and Democracy (EFD) group, the Non-Inscrits (NI) - which includes the BNP’s Nick Griffin - nine members of the European People’s Party (EPP) group and a lone Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D) MEP, Robert Goebbels.

The overall report on good governance, again opposed by Cameron’s MEP’s and their allies, was passed 554:46 (pp. 55-56).

In addition to cracking down on tax dodgers the report seeks to:

• Develop a co-ordinated strategy to improve the fight against fiscal fraud;

• Improve international cooperation within the EU and at international level in order to ensure that it is effective;

• Clamp down on multinational companies’ ability to make extensive use of tax havens and offshore centres as part of their tax avoidance strategies;

• Take decisive, effective and consistent action to deal with tax havens;

• Put an end to the use of artificial legal persons as a way to avoid taxation;

• Deal with the problem of bank secrecy, enabling the automatic exchange of information in all circumstances;

• Require companies to disclose in their annual accounts, on a country-by-country basis, accounting information relating to tax havens;

• Avoid the creation of further legal loopholes open to abuse; and

• Ensure consistency in the implementation at EU and international level of standards in the areas of prudential supervision, taxation and money laundering and counterterrorism.

As well as voting against them in yesterday’s full plenerary session, Cameron’s MEPs had earlier sought to water down the above proposals in committee.

Frank

I should bloody well think so too. Governments waste other people’s money.
http://twitter.com/elloweez/status/9001416558 Eloise Davies

RT @TheBrianDuggan: @johnprescott in Strasbourg this week, Tory MEPs voted with UKIP and BNP against reforms to clamp down on tax dodgers http://is.gd/8a9BW
http://twitter.com/macassar98/status/9002073332 Louise Armstrong

RT @TheBrianDuggan: @johnprescott in Strasbourg this week, Tory MEPs voted with UKIP and BNP against reforms to clamp down on tax dodgers http://is.gd/8a9BW
http://twitter.com/ossieace/status/9002618508 Scott Osborne

RT @TheBrianDuggan: @johnprescott in Strasbourg this week, Tory MEPs voted with UKIP and BNP against reforms to clamp down on tax dodgers http://is.gd/8a9BW
http://twitter.com/manatrue/status/9002883136 bee hive

RT @TheBrianDuggan: @johnprescott in Strasbourg this week, Tory MEPs voted with UKIP and BNP against reforms to clamp down on tax dodgers http://is.gd/8a9BW
http://twitter.com/dreamer_mike/status/9003126788 Mike Underwood

RT @TheBrianDuggan: @johnprescott in Strasbourg this week, Tory MEPs voted with UKIP and BNP against reforms to clamp down on tax dodgers http://is.gd/8a9BW
http://twitter.com/bobthomson70/status/9004881203 bobthomson70

RT @TheBrianDuggan: @johnprescott in Strasbourg this week, Tory MEPs voted with UKIP and BNP against reforms to clamp down on tax dodgers http://is.gd/8a9BW
http://twitter.com/_simonarnold_/status/9005012405 Simon Arnold

RT @TheBrianDuggan: @johnprescott in Strasbourg this week, Tory MEPs voted with UKIP and BNP against reforms to clamp down on tax dodgers http://is.gd/8a9BW
http://twitter.com/matsimpsk/status/9005028849 Mat Simpson

RT @TheBrianDuggan: @johnprescott in Strasbourg this week, Tory MEPs voted with UKIP and BNP against reforms to clamp down on tax dodgers http://is.gd/8a9BW
http://twitter.com/paulsandars/status/9005433833 Paul Sandars

RT @TheBrianDuggan: @johnprescott in Strasbourg this week, Tory MEPs voted with UKIP and BNP against reforms to clamp down on tax dodgers http://is.gd/8a9BW
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http://twitter.com/gurracutta/status/9096528648 john Barnes

RT @TheBrianDuggan: @johnprescott in Strasbourg this week, Tory MEPs voted with UKIP and BNP against reforms to clamp down on tax dodgers http://is.gd/8a9BW
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http://twitter.com/deardaveandnick/status/152414885286916096 Bern O’Donoghue

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http://twitter.com/adelesbells/status/152416514941796353 Adele Bailey

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