FRANCE MEAT TAX
November 1st, 2003
BY KEITH NUTHALLA MEAT purchase tax imposed by the French government on meat retailers is illegal under European state aid law, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) has ruled. It said that the tax, which funds the free disposal of carcasses and slaughterhouse waste, is a subsidy that places French meat producers at an unfair advantage in the European Union (EU) export market against competitors from other Member States. As such, ruled the ECJ, it would "distort competition" and was "incompatible" with EU fair trade treaty provisions. The ruling follows a case ...
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