ACCA ( The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants)  hopes that EU leaders will be able to find a reasonable agreement on the long-term budget – the so-called multi-annual financial framework (MFF) 2014-2020- during the forthcoming EU summit that will take place in Brussels on 22 and 23 November. It is vital for the economic recovery of the European Union to successfully manage its budget reform and better target its  priorities, such as for example enhancing the competitiveness of EU enterprises - especially small businesses, the backbone of our economy - as well as growth and job creation in Europe.

The global accountancy body warns against the risk of unfunded contingency plans to the MFF, and against the alternative approach of setting national annual budgets based on 2013 spending with a 2 percent increase for inflation. This would be very complex to implement and would risk endangering  legal certainty  linked to  funding for multi-annual EU projects.  In addition, a failure to reach agreement on the MFF may risk progress on other crucial issues such as reinforcing the Economic and Monetary Union.

Petros Fassoulas, Head of Public Affairs and Policy, Europe at ACCA  stresses :”The MFF is an important instrument for investment and growth throughout the EU. It offers long term financing for cross-border projects, something that national budgets are unable to do. 48% of the new 7-year EU budget will go to measures promoting growth and ACCA wants to see as many funds as possible invested to assist SMEs across the EU to take full advantage of the Single Market and create jobs”.

Estimates for 2009 are that the number of people employed was 5.6 million higher as a result of EU cohesion spending from 2000 to 2006. GDP in the EU-25 has been 0.7% higher in 2009 due to EU cohesion policy investments during 2000-2006. This is estimated to rise to 4% by 2020.

“The EU should continued focusing its spending in areas that can produce such results”, Petros Fassoulas adds.

ACCA nevertheless recognises that the stumbling blocks will not be easy to remove, and that some proposals entailed in the compromise prepared by Mr Van Rompuy would be difficult to put in place, especially given the current pessimistic economic outlook.

More particularly, we do not share the view that  the financial transaction tax (FTT) should become the base for a new “own resource” for the EU budget, despite the fact that the idea could have some merits if it was applied at global level. As it is currently designed, ACCA believes that it  fails to pass the tests of both the feasibility and the impact on competitiveness.

Chas Roy Chowdhury, head of Taxation  at ACCA  says: “The Financial Transaction Tax is also known as the Tobin Tax. The IMF was asked by the G20 in 2009 to consider the FTT but considered it inappropriate as a tax in the modern financial environment. This was the correct decision to take, especially in the light of  the experience of Sweden, which implemented a FTT in 1984 and then repealed the tax in 1990 as it suffered a serious exodus of financial institutions.”

Chas Roy-Chowdhury explains: “We are concerned that implementing such new tax would risk causing job losses and business insolvencies where the tax is implemented, and do not believe that it is the right time to do so when EU citizens and enterprises are already seriously hit by austerity plans. If eleven EU members wish  to implement the FTT then they must do so in a way which does not “taint” securities and derivatives which pass through their jurisdiction or are incidental FTT attributable to an associated company in a non-FTT member state.

“The only circumstance where we consider an FTT could be supported is if it were agreed globally and, as a part of the implementation plan, other taxes were reduced”, Chas Roy-Chowdhury concludes.

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For more information, please contact:

Cecile Bonino

+32 (0)2 286 11 37

cecile.bonino@accaglobal.com

Notes to Editors

1.    ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) is the global body for professional accountants. We aim to offer business-relevant, first-choice qualifications to people of application, ability and ambition around the world who seek a rewarding career in accountancy, finance and management.

2.    We support our 154,000 members and 432,000 students in 170 countries, helping them to develop successful careers in accounting and business, with the skills required by employers. We work through a network of over 80 offices and centres and more than 8,400 Approved Employers worldwide, who provide high standards of employee learning and development. Through our public interest remit, we promote appropriate regulation of accounting and conduct relevant research to ensure accountancy continues to grow in reputation and influence.

3.    Founded in 1904, ACCA has consistently held unique core values: opportunity, diversity, innovation, integrity and accountability. We believe that accountants bring value to economies in all stages of development and seek to develop capacity in the profession and encourage the adoption of global standards. Our values are aligned to the needs of employers in all sectors and we ensure that through our qualifications, we prepare accountants for business. We seek to open up the profession to people of all backgrounds and remove artificial barriers, innovating our qualifications and delivery to meet the diverse needs of trainee professionals and their employers.