WRITTEN QUESTION E-1185/00 by Cristiana Muscardini (UEN) to the Commission. Tax burden on single persons.
26. 1. 2001 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 26 E/157 Does the Commission not consider that it should prevail upon the Ankara government to put an end 2. to the judicial and other forms of persecution inflicted on Mr Birdal and Mr Erkaban? Answer given by Mr Verheugen on behalf of the Commission (22 May 2000) The Commission shares the concern expressed by the Honourable Member on the situation of Mr Akin Birdal, who has had to return to prison to complete his sentence, and Mr Necmettin Erbakan, who was sentenced to a year in prison. With regard to Mr Birdal, a well-known defender of human rights in Turkey, the Commission fully supports the statement by the Council Presidency of 30 March 2000 calling on the Turkish Government to take steps to free him. This latest development is all the more regrettable since the decision of the last European Council in Helsinki on 10 December 1999, confirming Turkeyís status as a candidate country, called on it to make a special effort to respect the political criteria laid down at Copenhagen. It is therefore vital that Turkey resolutely commit itself to a sustained process of democratisation and adopt the necessary reforms. In this respect the revision and even repeal of Article 312 of the penal code, under which Mr Birdal was convicted in 1998 and Mr Erbakan in March 2000, appears inevitable. (2001/C 26 E/195) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1181/00 by Antonio Tajani (PPE-DE) to the Commission Subject: Conservation of the district of San Lorenzo in Florence (12 April 2000) Is the Commission aware that the district of San Lorenzo in Florence is deteriorating and suffering neglect? How does it intend to safeguard the artistic, historical and cultural heritage of this district, whose market attracts millions of tourists from all over Europe every year? How does the Commission intend to guarantee the safety of tradesmen, itinerant salesmen and tourists and ensure that trading can be carried on normally, thereby preventing the deterioration from gradually discouraging craft industries and driving people away from Florenceís historic centre? Answer given by Mrs Reding on behalf of the Commission (29 May 2000) Article 151 (ex Article 128) of the EC Treaty gives the Community responsibility for encouraging cooperation between the Member States in the area of culture. The question raised by the Honourable Member does not come under the responsibility of the Community but, on the basis of the principle of subsidiarity, is the sole responsibility of the Member State. (2001/C 26 E/196) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1185/00 by Cristiana Muscardini (UEN) to the Commission (12 April 2000) Subject: Tax burden on single persons The tax rates to which single persons are subject vary from one European Union country to another. A recent OECD study shows that the tax levied on single persons in some countries exceeds 50 % of C 26 E/158 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 26. 1. 2001 income, while in other countries it is at least 10 % lower. In view of the low birth rate in several EU countries and the advisability of ensuring that similar conditions apply to all citizens in this category, does the Commission agree that it it is necessary to propose harmonising in a downwards direction the tax levied on the incomes of single persons throughout the European Union? Answer given by Mr Bolkestein on behalf of the Commission (24 May 2000) The Commission would point out that, as Community law currently stands, personal direct taxation is essentially a matter for the Member States, which are free to lay down the system of taxation applicable to their residents on the sole condition that they adhere to the fundamental principles of the EC Treaty, such as the prohibition of any discrimination based on nationality. It is true that certain initiatives are currently being considered with a view to introducing a degree of coordination of national legislation concerning the most mobile tax bases, particularly situations involving transnational factors, which are more likely to affect the proper operation of the single market. In keeping with the principle of subsidiarity, however, the Commission does not regard a Community taxation, initiative aimed at harmonisation or even coordination of the progressiveness of personal whether for single persons or families, as a political priority for the moment. Moreover, the solutions which individual Member States have devised on this issue are intimately linked to local political and social traditions, which deserve to be respected. The Commission can only hope that the budgetary discipline imposed on the Member States by their participation in the single currency will bring about a general reduction in the tax burden which may benefit single persons along with other categories of taxpayers. (2001/C 26 E/197) WRITTEN QUESTION P-1189/00 by Sebastiano Musumeci (UEN) to the Commission (10 April 2000) Subject: Penalties for the use of toxic products on Spanish oranges In its answer to Written Question P-0357/98 (1), the Commission confirmed that rosin modified by maleic anhydride and esterified with pentaerythrol is unacceptable for food use. Given that this substance is used for the processing and conservation of Spanish oranges and that the Commission intended to carry out a detailed study to verify whether penalties should be imposed for the infringement of Community rules, will the Commission say: 1. whether the necessary information has been gathered, now that two years have elapsed, to carry out a full investigation of this alarming problem? 2. what steps it intends to take vis-à-vis the Spanish authorities for repeated infringement of European Parliament and Council Directive 95/2/EC (2)? 3. what steps it intends to take to ensure proper control of plant protection products so as to prevent the marketing of products harmful to consumers? (1) OJ C 223, 17. 7. 1998, p. 170. (2) OJ L 61, 18. 3. 1995, p. 1