Dutch tax breaks under fire after ‘Paradise Papers’ leaks
AMSTERDAM: Dutch tax breaks to large international companies came under renewed fire after newly leaked documents revealed errors in the drafting of a tax ruling for US consumer goods giant Procter & Gamble.
Dutch lawmakers demanded a debate on the secret rulings, which specify individual tax breaks for international companies in the Netherlands.
They also called for a full inquiry into all tax arrangements with multinationals after newspapers reported that rules had been broken in the deal with P& G.
“We want a full explanation of the faulty P& G deal”, lawmaker Tom van der Lee said in parliament.
“And we want to know if all rulings will now be investigated to see if more errors have occurred.” The ‘ Paradise Papers’, a trove of leaked documents about offshore investments, shed light on a deal made in 2008, which gave P& G, the maker of Pampers diapers, Gillette razors and Tide laundry detergent, an estimated tax break of US$ 169 million.
It showed the deal was signed off by just one official of the Dutch tax authority, where at least two signatures were required.
The agreement also did not pass the special commission for international tax rulings, Dutch newspapers Trouw and Financieele Dagblad reported.
P& G was not immediately available for comment on Tuesday.
A spokesman for the finance ministry, which oversees the tax authority, declined to comment on the P& G deal or on the conse-
We want a full explanation of the faulty P&G deal.
quences of the leak for other tax arrangements.
The European Commission and other international bodies have frequently accused the Netherlands of helping companies to avoid taxes by drawing up thousands of tax arrangements for large corporations. Details of these arrangements are never disclosed, out of privacy considerations, but the finance ministry has repeatedly said they always comply with strict procedures.
The new Dutch government said last month it would try to make the country less attractive to shell companies that act as a conduit for money destined for tax havens.
But it also promised to lower the corporate tax rate to encourage foreign companies to move their activities to the Netherlands.
In 2015 the European Commission ordered the Dutch to reclaim up to 30 million euros (US$ 34.7 million) in back taxes from Starbucks after ruling that the tax arrangement with the US coffee company amounted to illegal state aid.
Both Starbucks and the finance ministry have filed an appeal against that ruling. — Reuters
Tom van der Lee, lawmaker