European Commission wants to scrap tax vetoes

Draft policy document says need for unanimity has 'hampered progress on important tax initiatives', but EU governments are almost certain to reject the proposals

The European Commission building in Brussels. Pic: Getty

The European Union’s executive arm will propose the abolition of national vetoes on tax policy, in plans which EU governments are almost certain to reject and which could trigger a backlash from populists protesting about the encroachment on the sovereignty of member states ahead of European Parliament elections in May.

EU decisions on taxation require unanimity among governments, which is often hard to achieve ascountries like Ireland oppose policies seen as undermining their economic competitiveness. The latest victim of the EU’s inability to reach consensus wasthe plan to introduce a 3 per cent levy on the European revenue on tech giants like Amazon and Facebook.