55 Amendments of Marek BELKA related to 2019/2110(INI)
Amendment 1 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 24 a (new)
Citation 24 a (new)
- having regard to the Interinstitutional Proclamation on the European Pillar of Social Rights on the 17th November 2017 in Gothenburg,
Amendment 2 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 24 b (new)
Citation 24 b (new)
- having regards to the report of the European Parliament on financial crimes, tax evasion and adopted on 26 March 2019 (2018/2121(INI)),
Amendment 3 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 24 c (new)
Citation 24 c (new)
- having regards to the Paris Agreements on climate changes in 2015 and the UN 2030 climate and energy framework,
Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 24 d (new)
Citation 24 d (new)
- having regards to UN Agenda 2030 and the SDGs,
Amendment 6 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas according to the Commission’s forecasts, the GDP growth rate for 2019 stands at 1.2 % of GDP per capita in the euro area and 1.4 % in the EU28, and is expected to rise to 1.4 % and 1.6 % respectively in 202010, based on the assumption of a status quo in terms of trading patterns between the EU27 and the UK and notwithstanding the mainly negative risks to the global economic outlook; whereas the economic recovery is uneven across the EU; whereas further policy action will nonetheless be required to address unresolved legacies of the global economic crisis; whereas globalisation has not brought the same benefits for all, leading to persistent high levels of income inequality and slow reduction of poverty, needing new efforts to ensure growth and equity; ____________________ 10 Commission’sEuropean Economic Forecast – Summer 2019 (Interim) of 10 July 2019
Amendment 12 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas annual revenue losses caused by aggressive corporate tax planning in the EU ranges from EUR 50- 70 billion to EUR 160-190 billion depending on the methodology;
Amendment 13 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C b (new)
Recital C b (new)
Cb. whereas latest estimates of tax evasion within the EU point to a figure of approximately EUR 825 billion per year;
Amendment 14 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C c (new)
Recital C c (new)
Cc. whereas nominal corporate tax rates have decreased at EU level from an average of 32 % in 2000 to 21,9 % in 201810a, which represents a decrease of 32 %; ____________________ 10aTaxation Trends in the European Union, Table 3: Top statutory corporate income tax rates (including surcharges), 1995-2018, European Commission, 2018.
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C d (new)
Recital C d (new)
Cd. whereas some assessments of effective tax rates in the EU diverge from 2,2 % to 30 %10b; ____________________ 10bPublic hearing of 24 January 2019 on ‘The Evaluation of the Tax Gap’.
Amendment 16 #
Ce. whereas despite a small decline in poverty, 113 million remain at risk, far short of the Europe 2020 target, with large imbalances between member states with more than a 1/3 of population in BG, RO and EL and growing in-work poverty (9.6 %);
Amendment 19 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas the general government deficit is expected to rise from 0.5 % to 0.9 % in the euro area and from 0.6 % to 1.0 % in the EU28 in 2019, and to remain at that level in 2020; whereas the debt-to- GDP ratio in 2019 stands at 85.8 % in the euro area and 80.2 % in the EU28 and is forecast to decrease to 84.3 % and 78.8 % respectively in 2020; whereas some Member States record high current account surpluses and European macro- economic imbalances are still large;
Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
Ea. whereas, according to Eurostat and Word Inequality Database, inequality of income distribution in the euro area has increased since the beginning of the financial crisis; whereas tax competition between European states, continually increased, which has undermined the progressivity of taxes increasing the unfair tax burden and undermining public finances;
Amendment 23 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E b (new)
Recital E b (new)
Eb. whereas the incomes of the richest 1% jumped twice as fast as the average and captured a share of growth similar to those captured by the bottom 50%; In 2017, the richest 20% in the EU earned over 5 x the poorest 20%;
Amendment 26 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas, in the light of the risks of trade tensions between the US and the China alongside the persistent uncertainty related to the withdrawal of the UK from the EU, the global outlook risks bending towards the downside; not to mention the risks of recession and crisis in Germany and the situation in Italy;
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)
Recital F a (new)
Fa. whereas tax optimization, tax evasion and tax avoidance for the benefit of some large companies and individuals have resulted in billions of euros in lost revenue for public finance management in several Member States at the expense of SMEs and other taxpayers; contributing to increasing inequality and imbalances;
Amendment 32 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F b (new)
Recital F b (new)
Fb. whereas the current European Semester is not designed to drive the necessary economic, social and environmental transformations the EU and its Member States are committed to, within the Commission’s 2030 climate target, the UN SDGs and the Paris Agreement;
Amendment 34 #
Fc. whereas the implementation of the UN SDGs and the Paris Agreement goals requires a comprehensive, broad and long-term EU strategy in which a reformed European Semester needs to be embedded;
Amendment 35 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F d (new)
Recital F d (new)
Fd. whereas global CO2 emissions have increased by 55% in 20 years; whereas human activities have altered 75% of the terrestrial environment and 66% of the marine environment; whereas 1 million plant and animal species are threatened with extinction; considering that the value of agricultural production has increased four-fold since 1970; whereas almost half of coral reef cover has disappeared since the 1870s;
Amendment 36 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F e (new)
Recital F e (new)
Fe. whereas gaps and labour market segregation remain high throughout the European Union, contributing to gender differences in pay, pensions, decision- making and wealth;
Amendment 48 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Agrees that effectiEmphasizes a low level of public inve structural reforms, accompanied by well-targetedment and a lack of ambitious and socially balanced reforms in some Member States, therefore well-targeted investments and social inclusive and sustainable investments and responsible fiscal policies, continue to provide a successful compass for preparing the EU for its future and present challenges;
Amendment 57 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Recalls the importance of efficient regulation of banking and financial sectors to prevent a new crisis especially in the matter of shadow banking;
Amendment 58 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3b. Highlights, that in order to achieve the implementation of the Commission’s 2030 climate target, it is of importance to transform the European Semester into a tool of boosting social inclusive and sustainable investments and introduce a multi-annual sustainability pact, based on the UN SDGs and underpinned by the European Pillar Social Rights;
Amendment 59 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 c (new)
Paragraph 3 c (new)
3c. Calls on the Commission, to enlarge the reference indicators of the European Semester by including social and environmental indicators to be able to take into account the sustainability impact of reforms and fiscal consolidation;
Amendment 71 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Recognises that the average level of debt-to-GDP is projected to decline; notes, however, that the average level still remains significantly above the level required by the Stability and Growth Pact; points out the possibility of rising debt service costs; underlines, therefore, the importance of bringing down overall debt levels, in line with EU fiscal rulescluding private debt;
Amendment 72 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a Supports flexibility in the implementation of the Stability and Growth Pact as proposed by the Commission in 2015; considers that much more flexibility should be set up to boost investments and ecological transition in the EU; calls, therefore, to reform the Stability and Growth Pact and introduce a Euro area fiscal instrument;
Amendment 91 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. RegretsTakes note that the aggregate fiscal stance appears to be mildly expansionary in 2019, while emphasising that the European Fiscal Board considers a neutral stance as more appropriate;
Amendment 118 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Highlights, however, the persistent structural problem of insufficient economical activities, steaming from a too low level of public and private investments in essential services, social protection and wages, leading to persistent social and regional inequalities;
Amendment 121 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 b (new)
Paragraph 8 b (new)
8b. Reminds, that one of the core policy areas of the European Semester and a prerequisite of sustained economic well-being is financial stability; therefore it is essential to ensure that financial institutions are better regulated and supervised both in the Eurozone and all over the EU, to put an end to the era of "too-big-to-fail" and massive bailouts paid for by taxpayers;
Amendment 122 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Highlights, however, the persistent structural problem of insufficient economical activities, steaming from a too low level of public and private investments in essential services, social protection and wages, leading to persistent social and regional inequalities.
Amendment 139 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Calls on the Member States to set in place proper policies to ensure equal access to education, and to provide investment to ensure equal access to lifelong education and training and to close the gender gap;
Amendment 142 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 c (new)
Paragraph 10 c (new)
10c. Reminds that all EU countries would benefit from increased fiscal capacity and notes that additional resources can be found through a willing and effective policy against tax fraud and tax avoidance including support for an EU Financial Transactions Tax;
Amendment 143 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Calls on Member States to support and implement EU actions to Aggressive Tax Planning; combat Tax Fraud, Tax Avoidance and Aggressive Tax Planning and anti-money laundering, and in particular, the implementation of the Anti Tax Avoidance Directive (ATAD), so that the EU complies with current international standards; calls on the European Commission to publish a first assessment of the ATAD which should has been transposed since 1 January 2019; demands that such assessment includes an analysis on the level of corporate tax revenues, on tax strategies put in place by multinationals and on growth as well as an assessment of the robustness of implementation against new tax avoidance strategies;
Amendment 144 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Calls on Member States to support and implement EU actions to combat Aggressive Tax Planning; . Reiterates the call of the Parliament and the Commission stating that EU tax policy should not be dependent on a unanimity rule that can be misused for purely national interests, at the expense of the Single Market and other Member States’ needs. A move to qualified majority voting in taxation would enable Member States to control more effectively the part of their sovereignty that they have pooled together in the interests of the Union as a whole and for greater collective and individual results. Invites therefore the Commission to put this statement in practice and make swiftly use of the specific passerelle clause in the Treaties which offers an obvious route to move away from unanimity in the tax area;
Amendment 151 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Calls on all Member States to support and implement EU actions to combat Aggressive Tax Planning;
Amendment 156 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11a. Welcomes the on-going international negotiations on tax and digitalisation, and in particular, welcomes the Programme of Work to Develop a Consensus Solution to the Tax Challenges Arising from the Digitalisation of the Economy (Programme of Work) as proposed by the Inclusive Framework and the OECD and endorsed by G20 Finance Ministers last June;
Amendment 162 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 b (new)
Paragraph 11 b (new)
11b. Remains concerned about the implications of tax competition within the EU and with third countries on the sustainability of tax systems and tax collection, as well as consequences on fiscal capacity and fair competition in the EU Internal Market;
Amendment 163 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 c (new)
Paragraph 11 c (new)
11c. Supports the French and German position to have a second pillar in the current Programme of Work aiming at granting taxing rights that would strengthen the ability of jurisdictions to tax profits where the other jurisdiction with taxing rights applies a low effective rate of tax to those profits, by 2020; understand that this would leads to a de facto minimum effective level of taxation worldwide which would mitigate the negative effect of tax competition;
Amendment 166 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 d (new)
Paragraph 11 d (new)
11d. Invites the Commission and the Council to look for new resources that would both allow to speed up the needed ecological transition and create fiscal capacity to finance needed social and sustainable investment [including investments in healthcare, education]; welcomes the announcement of the Commission President to propose a Carbon Border Tax and to review the Energy Taxation Directive;
Amendment 169 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 e (new)
Paragraph 11 e (new)
11e. Highlights the fact that, in the recent period, real wage growth has lagged behind productivity growth, while improvements have occurred in the labour market; stresses, against this background, the room for wage increases in certain sectors and areas, to ensure good standards of living, taking into account the need to tackle poverty, including growing in-work, inequalities and boost growth;
Amendment 171 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 f (new)
Paragraph 11 f (new)
11f. Calls for further stabilization of the Euro area by increasing its capacity to absorb large-scale economic shocks and respective consequences for the labour market through the introduction of a European Unemployment Insurance Scheme, combining a self-insurance mechanism for national unemployment insurance systems with a European re- insurance as a solidarity mechanism for extreme shocks; and commitment to progress on an EU framework directive to guarantee adequate minimum income;
Amendment 179 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Agrees that the economic upswing needs to be supported by public and private investment, particularly in innovation, and notes that there is still an investment gap in the euro area; welcomes the fact that in some Member States investments already exceed the pre-crisis level, and regrets that in others investment is still lagging behind or is not picking up at the necessary speed; insists that investment has declined on average at EU level by 2.3 points and by 2.7 points in the euro area. They accounted for 20.1% of European GDP in 2017 compared with 22.4% 10 years ago;
Amendment 210 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Underlines that investment in tangibles and intangibles in order to increase productivity, skills and innovation, along with the growth-enhancing socially- balanced structural reforms, will increase long-term growth potential;
Amendment 211 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Stresses that the support for the transition towards a low-carbon and circular economy will create new jobs in services and in the development of new and more sustainable products and markets; stresses that investments to foster such a transition should be significantly increased at both national and EU levels;
Amendment 214 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 b (new)
Paragraph 14 b (new)
14b. Calls on the Commission to provide an assessment of the gap between the need for green investments and the concrete realization of these; including an annual analysis of green investment needs; calls for annual monitoring of the implementation of green investments in each Member Stat;.
Amendment 216 #
Motion for a resolution
New Subtitle before paragraph 14 c (new)
New Subtitle before paragraph 14 c (new)
14c. Taxation
Amendment 217 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 d (new)
Paragraph 14 d (new)
14d. Recalls that the fight against aggressive tax planning strategies is essential to provide fair treatment of taxpayers, safeguard public finances, and preserve social cohesion and fight inequalities;
Amendment 218 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 e (new)
Paragraph 14 e (new)
14e. Insists on the need to implement an ambitious pCBCR and CCCTB;
Amendment 219 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 f (new)
Paragraph 14 f (new)
14f. Recalls the need to implement the recommendations of the special committee TAXE 3; stresses that the complexity of tax systems can give rise to legal loopholes facilitating tax fraud schemes such as cum-ex;
Amendment 220 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 g (new)
Paragraph 14 g (new)
14g. Encourages a stronger coordination and harmonization of taxation with the objective to reduce the differences among Member States over a ten-year period, thus making any possible company relocation unattractive;
Amendment 241 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 b (new)
Paragraph 16 b (new)
16b. Recalls the need of stronger surveillance of the employment and social situation in Europe and appropriate and constant follow up at every step of the European Semester to boost quality jobs creation and accordingly achieving smart, sustainable;
Amendment 242 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 c (new)
Paragraph 16 c (new)
16c. Shares the Commission's concerns over developments in the housing market in some Member States; stresses that rising interest rates and housing prices are affecting households' private debt; underlines that this debt plays a role in the stability of the euro area; calls on the Commission to take initiatives in this area in line with recommendation 19 of the Social Pillar;
Amendment 243 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 b (new)
Paragraph 16 b (new)
16b. Recalls the need of stronger surveillance of the employment and social situation in Europe and appropriate and constant follow up at every step of the European Semester to boost quality jobs creation and accordingly achieving smart, sustainable;
Amendment 250 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17a. Welcomes that taxation has regularly become part of the proposed country-specific recommendations for many Member States; welcomes in particular the attention given to spillover effects of taxpayers' aggressive tax planning strategies between Member States; calls on the Commission, the Council and concerned Member States to make proposals to counter the mentioned phenomenon;
Amendment 251 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 b (new)
Paragraph 17 b (new)
17b. Supports recommendation that invite Member States to ensure a greater stability and fairness of their fiscal capacity and tax collection, such as limiting the scope and number of tax expenditures and broadening the tax base; invites the Commission and the Council to better look at the impact of progressivity of tax systems in that regard;
Amendment 259 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Reminds Member States regardless of their membership in the euro area of the importance of committing to and delivering on the CSRs;