"STATEMENT
BY BELGIUM, THE CZECH REPUBLIC, FRANCE, GERMANY, ITALY, IRELAND, THE
NETHERLANDS, POLAND, PORTUGAL, ROMANIA, SPAIN, THE SLOVAK REPUBLIC, THE UNITED
KINGDOM, DENMARK, SWEDEN, FINLAND AND SLOVENIA
on the Pilot Multilateral Automatic Information Exchange Facility
Automatic information exchange between tax authorities is a powerful tool in tackling and
deterring tax evasion.
Tax evasion is a global problem and we should look for a global
solution, otherwise the problem is simply displaced.
In this regard we strongly support the development of a single global standard for automatic
exchange of information covering a wide scope of income and entities. The alternative of
competing standards would lead to fragmentation, gaps and significantly greater costs for
industry and businesses and tax authorities.
The agreements being signed with the US with a large number of jurisdictions and the EU’s
leading experience regarding automatic exchange of information provide us with a unique
opportunity to move from a series of bilateral agreements to a multilateral system. We
therefore strongly support the initiative for a pilot of multilateral automatic information
exchange based on agreements with the US. We invite all EU Member States and other
countries to commit to join this initiative with the aim of rapidly creating a truly global system
of automatic information exchange which would mark a step change in our ability to tackle tax
evasion. We also request the Commission to support and promote the work of the OECD, G8,
and G20 in developing a single global standard for automatic exchange of information, with a
view to its quick implementation at EU level also.