European People's Party

I think that here you mean the Common Consolidated Corporate Tax Base CCCTB. A harmonised system for calculating the tax base will greatly benefit Europe’s competitiveness, stimulate economic growth and lead to new jobs.  Setting the tax rates remains a prerogative of the Member States, but the possibility to apply a common set of rules for calculating the tax base will help in reducing administrative and fiscal barriers when doing business in Europe. The CCCTB will make it easier for companies to have and keep branches in different Member States as they will be able to consolidate the results of their individual branches. This allows them to compensate for any losses a group member might have. The system ensures that economic and social aspects are more important than purely fiscal reasons when companies choose their locations.  EPP and the European Parliament proposes a roadmap to generalise the use of the CCCTB system after a brief transitional period. As soon as it is introduced, all companies will be able to apply the CCCTB. After two years the system will apply to all "European companies" ('Societas Europaea' under the European Company Statute) and "European cooperative societies". After five years it will apply to all companies with the exception of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which can still opt in if they wish to do so.

Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament

The European Parliament already pushed for and decided the first step in the direction of tax harmonization, but for a common consolidated corporate tax base. The idea of Piketty is good, but there is a long way to go – taxation is still pure national competence, with unanimity within the Council, but it could be a vision for the future.

European United Left–Nordic Green Left

Our guiding principle since the beginning of the crisis has been that those already suffering under austerity should not have to pay for the errors of a reckless financial sector. The specifics of taxation proposals are an issue that is still under discussion within our group.

* Greeklish.info has asked all the political groups for an interview