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Centre for Commercial Law Studies

Secretive European Union Body Is Facing Calls To Open Up

Professor Christiana HJI Panayi speaks to Law360 about the changes to the European Union's Code of Conduct Group for business taxation

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The European Commission recently outlined changes for the European Union's Code of Conduct Group for business taxation, the body that determines whether tax programs are harmful. On paper, the code has criteria for assessing whether non-member jurisdictions should be on the list. These include commitments to sharing of information, fair taxation and implementing the OECD’s standards against base erosion and profit shifting. But critics say the Code of Conduct Group isn’t transparent enough in its application of these standards. “When you don’t have transparency, it’s easy to have rumours,” said Christiana HJI Panayi, a tax law professor at Queen Mary University of London. “The legitimacy of the whole exercise depends on a body judged to be as transparent as possible and not have it look like a political decision.”

The full article can be accessed on Law360 (subscription required).

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