Mr Krister Andersson participated as a speaker at the event “Common (Consolidated) Corporate Tax Base (C(C)CTB)“, organized by the IFA Austria in Vienna

Mr Krister Andersson, rapporteur for the EESC opinion on "Taxation of profits of multinationals in the digital economy", participated as a speaker at the event “Common (Consolidated) Corporate Tax Base (C(C)CTB)“, organized by the IFA Austria in Vienna, on 8 October 2018.

Mr Andersson had participated in a similar event seven years ago, so he could therefore compare his assessment then with the present situation. The current status of the proposed directive and its effects on the European economy was analyzed and discussed at the gathering which attracted more than 120 participants. Among the participants were the former Director-General of DG TAXUD, Mr. Heinz Zourek, and senior officials from Austria and Germany.

Prof. Michael Lang, chairman of IFA Austria and a leading European professor in European Tax Law, chaired the meeting. Other panelists were Mr. Uwe Ihli (DG TAXUD) who gave the theoretical background on the CCCTB as well as current developments from an EU perspective. Prof. Dr. Dr. Gunter Mayr (Austrian Ministry of Finance, also representing the Austrian Presidency) elaborated on the progress and objectives regarding the CCCTB during the period of the Austrian EU-presidency and the potential impacts on Austria if the CCCTB would be implemented. Prof. Dr. Christoph Spengel (University of Mannheim, Germany) reported on his calculations, commissioned by the European Commission, on the country effects of the CCCTB. The calculations are an update of earlier calculations and will soon be published. Mr Andersson presented the potential consequences of the CCCTB from the civil society perspective and its possible impact on investments and job creation in Europe.

Some concerns and skepticism about the prospects of Member States agreeing on the CCCTB were expressed. At the same time, the potential benefits of a properly designed and not overburdened CCCTB was also highlighted. It is essential that the EESC continues to follow the work on European corporate taxation since it is important for job creation and for the possibility for governments to achieve social objectives.

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