WRITTEN QUESTION No. 3675/98 by Gerhard HAGER to the Commission. The 1999 budget
C 142/146 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 21. 5. 1999 It was also discussed in depth at a round table meeting of Member State and Commission health and Aids experts in Brussels on 25 September. We are sending copies of the minutes of this meeting direct to you and to Parliament’s secretariat. (1) COM(98) 407 final. (1999/C 142/193) WRITTEN QUESTION P-3575/98 by Ingo Friedrich (PPE) to the Commission (18 November 1998) Subject: Tax-free and duty-free purchases by EU officials 1. What category of EU officials are entitled to make tax-free and duty-free purchases? 2. How does the Commission justify these exceptional provisions? 3. What level of price reduction is involved? Answer given by Mr Liikanen on behalf of the Commission (17 December 1998) All officials, temporary staff or auxiliary staff holding a contract of at least one year have the right, when they first take up their duties with one of the Community institutions in Belgium, to purchase certain goods free of VAT for personal use. They enjoy this right for not more than twelve consecutive months within the two years which follow their arrival in Belgium. The goods which may be thus purchased free of VAT and the rules governing such purchases are defined by the Belgian Ministry of Finance. Copies of the list of goods and the said rules have been sent to the Honourable Member in person as well as to Parliament’s Secretariat. Such purchases are a privilege granted unilaterally by Belgium. Neither the Commission nor any of the other Community institutions which has its seat in Belgium can exert any influence over the goods which may be purchased free of VAT or the rules which govern this arrangement. It should be noted that both Luxembourg and Ireland grant similar privileges to Community staff when they first take up their duties in those Member States. For your further information, I would point out that the fiscal advantages granted to officials and other servants of the Communities were recently reduced with the abolition of the tax-free petrol quotas enjoyed by senior officials and the annual allowance of duty-free alcoholic beverages and tobacco, in principle amounting to BEF 1800 and available to officials in general. Both these privileges were withdrawn by Belgium in 1997. (1999/C 142/194) WRITTEN QUESTION E-3675/98 by Gerhard Hager (NI) to the Commission (7 December 1998) Subject: The 1999 budget The draft budget, entitled ‘Budget for the taxpayer’, was adopted by the European Parliament at first reading. Efforts were made to cut back, particularly on the expenditure side. However, the budget for Parliament was increased by 1,7 % over the previous year. One of the reasons given was increased costs for the forthcoming elections