EU Strengthens Programmes Against Tax And Customs Fraud

by Ulrika Lomas, Tax-News.com, Brussels

01 February 2002

The European Commission has announced two programmes, labelled Customs 2007 and Fiscalis 2007, to help Member States to co-operate in combatting tax abd customs fraud and reduce customs compliance costs for traders.

The programmes will include improved electronic systems for information exchange between national administrations, co-operation in investigations, training seminars for customs and tax officials and experts and the exchanges of officials between national administrations.

Customs 2007 also aims to reduce customs compliance costs for economic operators by encouraging the development of a paperless electronic customs system. The two programmes would be open to candidate countries as well as Member States.

The programmes would replace and strengthen existing programmes that expire at the end of 2002. The proposed Decisions to establish the programmes will be submitted to the European Parliament and the Council for adoption under the co-decision procedure.

The cost of the programmes would be shared between the European Union budget and the participating countries and, for the EU budget, spread over the five years, would be €56 million for Fiscalis 2007 and €133 million for Customs 2007. Both programmes would run from 1 January 2003 to 31 December 2007.

Taxation and Internal Market Commissioner Frits Bolkestein said "Fiscalis 2007 and Customs 2007 will facilitate more intensive co-operation between Member States, as well as candidate countries, to combat large scale customs and tax fraud. Such fraud seriously damages both EU and national financial interests."

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