Reacting to today’s publication of the OECD/G20 Inclusive Framework on Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) of a Side-by-Side Political agreement, BusinessEurope Director General Markus J. Beyrer said:
“The political agreement on a side-by-side system represents an important breakthrough that will hopefully ease the risk of tax tensions with the United States. This provides welcome reassurance for European businesses and can help restore stability and predictability in transatlantic tax relations at a time of wider global uncertainty.”
“At the same time, the agreement places a clear and urgent responsibility on the European Union to follow through with real, measurable simplification of its Pillar Two rules and the wider EU tax framework.
BusinessEurope strongly supports the EU’s tax simplification agenda as a key contributor to strengthening Europe’s competitiveness. For this agenda to succeed, it is essential that the side-by-side system does not lead to greater complexity, higher compliance costs or a weaker competitive position for European companies compared to businesses in other major economies.
The EU should therefore remain ready to adjust its tax rules wherever necessary to ensure they work in practice and continue to support investment and growth in the Single Market. Implementation in the EU must also avoid creating new asymmetries that would make operating in Europe more difficult than elsewhere.
BusinessEurope will now assess the political agreement in detail and work with European policymakers to ensure that it translates into practical simplification, strong competitiveness safeguards, and a coherent, globally workable implementation. European business will be looking for concrete action, not just political commitments.”
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As Europe’s largest business organisation and a recognised European social partner, BusinessEurope is a leading advocate for growth and competitiveness at the EU level. Founded in 1958, we speak for enterprises of all sizes in 36 European countries whose 42 national business federations are our direct members.
