The European Commission today announced it will open a formal probe into Luxembourg's tax treatment of McDonald's. The preliminary assessment indicates that the tax ruling granted by Luxembourg to McDonald's amounts to unfair competition and a breach of EU State aid rules. For those correspondents covering the decision, please find below a quote from Green economic and finance spokesperson Molly Scott Cato:

"This latest probe by the Commission is another important step in tackling the sweetheart tax deals, which multinationals have used to avoid their tax responsibility. In launching a probe against McDonald's the Commission is continuing to work through the long list of multinationals who have sought to avoid paying taxes via agreements with EU member states. So far, the Commission has only dealt with the tip of the iceberg of these rulings and its work must continue. The implication is that the aggressive tax avoidance strategies that have been employed by a host of multinationals operating in Europe are not legal and a direct and more comprehensive response must follow. However, the Commission also needs to propose comprehensive legislation for ensuring transparency on corporate taxation and clamping down on tax dumping."

Richard More O'Ferrall,

Press and media advisor, social media coordinator,

Greens/EFA group in the European Parliament

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