Hannes Swoboda: ‘The SPD’s Braunschweig declaration is an important step in the fight against tax evasion in Europe’

Following the publication yesterday of the so-called ‚Braunschweig declaration‘ on fairer taxation by SPD chancellor candidate Peer Steinbrück, party leader Sigmar Gabriel and leader of the SPD in Lower-Saxony, Stephan Weil, the president of the Socialists & Democrats Group in the European Parliament, Hannes Swoboda stated:

“We fully support this paper and its contents. Given the current developments in the use of tax havens, this initiative from Peer Steinbrück, Sigmar Gabriel and Stephan Weil has come at exactly the right time.
„Our Group has also felt the need for active engagement and we believe that the estimate of potential savings of €850 billion mentioned in the Braunschweig declarationmay even be too low.
„Last year our Group presented a study estimating the potential savings at €1 trillion, higher than the figures presented here.”
Hannes Swoboda argued in support of an active approach at European level:
“It is important to tackle this issue at the European level and to take decisive steps against future tax evasion.
„It is high time that Luxembourg and Austria abandon their opposition to an effective agreement with Switzerland and sit down at the table with us to negotiate.”
Regarding the SPD’s call for a withdrawal of banking licences, Hannes Swoboda said:
“Our Group supports and endorses the paper’s proposed withdrawal of banking licences when tax evasion is continually facilitated. This is an important measure to prevent assistance in tax evasion.
„In Europe tax evasion has reached drastic proportions, and the time has come to respond with drastic measures.”