The EU Commissioner for Taxation and Customs Union Algirdas Šemeta warned in an interview with the German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung about caution with the introduction of a financial transaction tax.
‘It is easy to call for the introduction of this tax. However, the Commission must be very careful not to make absurd decisions,’ Šemeta said. ‘If this tax does not work, we will be to blame. The competitiveness of European financial centers must not be called into question,’ the Lithuanian commissioner further warned. His comments followed the publication of a letter from German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble and French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde on Friday, in which they call on the European Union to continue implementing the plan for the introduction of this tax. (H)
