John McDonnell calls on Tories to stop using EU before Brexit to aide tax avoidance

John
McDonnell MP, Labour’s Shadow Chancellor, calling
on the Government not to block tax avoidance measures at the European
Parliament following a vote last week when Tory MEPs voted to water
down country-by-country reporting, said:

“Last week at the European Parliament Theresa May gave an
insight into what a Tory Brexit will truly look like, as Tory MEPs voted to
water down measures to clampdown on tax avoidance.

“Once again the Tories have shown their true colours on tax
avoidance and evasion by voting to grant potentially permanent exemptions from
scrutiny for large multinationals.

“Theresa May
could have instructed her Tory MEPs to support public country-by-country
reporting but has chosen not to; as she continues not to lead her party, but to
be led by it.

"While the Tories say one thing on tax avoidance when
they think the public is listening, they do another when they think no one is
watching. Because deep down they really just want to turn our country into a
tax haven off the coast of Europe.

"The Tories need to commit to stop using the European
Parliament as a vehicle to block or hold up measures to clamp down on tax
avoidance and evasion.

“Only a
Labour Government would be prepared to work with our European neighbours in
clamping down on tax evasion and avoidance, and introduce our Tax Transparency
Enforcement Programme that would end the injustice where a few big corporations
in our country are paying lower rates of tax than many of their employees.”