EU to multinationals: pay your fair share of taxes

Bratislava

MULTINATIONALS should refrain from tax avoidance practices and pay their fair share of taxes, the head of eurozone finance ministers said on Saturday, in a new endorsement of the European Union fight against tax dodging.

In the wake of the "Panama Papers" revelations of widespread tax avoidance practices, Brussels has toughened up its drive for tax fairness by tightening controls and adopting stricter rules. The recent shock multi-billion euro tax demand on Apple was part of that trend. "My message to those companies is you are fighting the wrong battle. You have to move on. Times are changing," the head of the eurogroup and Dutch Finance Minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem told reporters on his arrival to a meeting of EU finance ministers in Bratislava, which will discuss tax policies. "You need to pay your taxes in a fair way. Part of that would be in the US, part of that would be in Europe. So get ready to do that."