“The European Union needs a business tax system fit to address the challenges of the 21st century. The key challenge is to create clear and simple tax laws that are not prone to abuse. The European Commission’s agenda in the area of business taxation should be twofold: eliminating existing taxation-based obstacles to the Single Market and pushing for sensible, clear and robust tax rules on an international level”, said Markus Ferber MEP, EPP Group Spokesman on Economic Affairs, ahead of today’s presentation of a new business taxation plan by the European Commission. How to tax businesses in the future will also be on today’s session in the European Parliament. “Business taxation must be a tool to help the recovery. European companies need simple, clear and stable tax rules. Our enterprises, and SMEs in particular, are at the core of any recovery path and their competitiveness has to be our main priority. Reducing the tax burden, protecting taxpayers’ rights and tackling bureaucracy are three objectives that I see as structural in a European business taxation framework with more cooperation, dialogue and ambition”, said Lídia Pereira MEP, EPP Group Spokeswoman in the subcommittee on tax matters.