International

SP leader Emile Roemer is demanding that the parliamentary investigating committee on financial constructions must be followed by a Parliamentary Enquiry, which in the Dutch system has greater powers and higher status. The committee today published its report following interviews under oath from twenty-seven experts and involved parties. “The Netherlands is a magnet for corporations who want to enter into shady agreements which enable them to pay as little tax as possible on their profits,” says Roemer. “On top of that there’s 150 billion euros of Dutch capital parked in tax havens, which costs us ten billion euros a year in tax revenues. It’s good to know that tax evasion and tax avoidance are being investigated, but if we really want to tackle the problem then we need to hold a parliamentary enquiry. “

Four trillion euros per annum pours via the taxation and trusts sector through the Netherlands from multinationals and others. Other states, including developing countries, lose tax revenues as a result. “The interviews with the committee create an image of an extremely interwoven sector where one . hand feeds another and then they wash each other clean,” says Roemer . “Everyone says they are operating within the law, but nobody feels responsible when what they do leads to tax evasion or the laundering of criminals’ money. These dodgy practices are able to remain out of sight of the revenue service and others charged with surveillance. This is a very undesirable and costly situation which must be tackled by everyone in parliament.”