MEP STATUTE: PARLIAMENT OPEN TO EXEMPTION TO TAX OPTION.

• Position: Proposed tax on European Parliament Members' salaries - Brief Article

The opinion by Willi Rothley, the long-standing rapporteur on the Statute for MEPs, was adopted by the Committee with only three abstentions. It confirms that as a matter of principle the Statute should provide for an EU tax on MEPs' salaries. However, since at least four Member States - Denmark, Finland, Sweden and the United Kingdom - completely reject the idea of a EU tax, the Parliamentary Committee felt obliged to accept the proposal submitted in a non-paper by the Swedish Council Presidency to provide for a waiver for these four States (see European Report 2583 for further details). It seems certain that it would otherwise be impossible to secure unanimous agreement in Council, as required by Article 190 paragraph 5 of the Amsterdam Treaty.The Waiver could consist of one of three options (in all three cases the level of the MEPs' salaries would be set by the EU):- Under Option A, the salary would be payable from the EU budget but be subject in the above four countries to national income tax. MEPs elected in those countries would be entitled to the same social and other benefits as members...