FRANCE TAX FAILURE
January 1st, 2004
BY KEITH NUTHALLTHE EUROPEAN Commission has rejected a call from France that the European Union should increase the minimum EU excise duty on tobacco, to prevent tobacco smuggling into France from lower duty jurisdictions such as Germany while French duties are hiked. Internal market Commissioner Frits Bolkestein was unwilling to ask EU ministers to further raise the European duty floor, given the political difficulties encountered in agreeing new rates in 2002. France claims smuggling has cut official cigarette consumption by a tenth since last year's 10 per ...
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