By Martin Banks - 9th February 2011
Taxpayers’ money are being increasingly used by the EU for unprecedented purposes
Derk Jan Eppink
A campaign has been launched to repel any attempt to establish an EU-wide system of taxation.
The move comes in the wake of what some have seen as a tacit support for such a move by EU budget commissioner Janusz Lewandowski.
During a hearing on EU taxation and eurobonds, organised by ALDE at the beginning of January, the Pole said that he is looking at different ways and shapes of EU taxation and implied that it might be in a form of an EU-wide VAT tax.
He said proposals should be tabled this summer.
On Tuesday, a campaign was launched in parliament to mobilise public support against any such move.
The "No EU tax" initiative was launched during a public hearing. It aims to collect one million signatures under the 'European citizen's initiative'.
This enables EU citizens to stop the European commission proposing a new law if a minimum of one million of European citizens from seven EU countries sign an initiative.
Representatives from Belgian, German, Swedish, British and Dutch Taxpayers Associations demonstrated their support at the public hearing, organised by New Direction – The foundation for European reform.
Organisers would like to have one million signatures by the end of the year 2011.
"If we succeed, the European commission will have to listen to us, we will have the power to stop the EU tax," said Kristof Van der Cruysse form VlaNeTax, the Flemish-Dutch taxpayers association.
Belgian MEP Derk Jan Eppink, vice-president of New Direction, said, "Taxpayers' money is being increasingly used by the EU for unprecedented purposes: from bailing out companies, to bailing out countries. These expenditures are followed by calls to increase EU budget among other through EU tax.
"Before asking those on the 'spending side' of the EU budget, we should ask those on the 'paying side', that is why European taxpayers are getting organised and will speak out."
Michael Jager, secretary general of Taxpayers Association for Europe, agreed, saying that the EU should "efficiently spend the money that already is at its disposal and not look for new ways how to increase taxation."
"We do not need more revenues but more efficiency in spending the EU money. What would be an added value of a new EU tax?"
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