Italy took over EU Council Presidency on 1 July 2014 for the following 6 months. Italy’s Prime Minister Matteo Renzi presented Italy’s priorities to the new Members of the EU Parliament and the formal programme has now been released.
In the area of indirect taxation, the Italian Presidency will
- Carry forward discussions on improvements to administrative cooperation in the field of VAT.
- Building on the ongoing work at OECD level in the context of the BEPS Action Plan and on the analysis carried out by the European Commission, the Italian Presidency will continue discussions on the issue of the taxation of the digital economy.
- The Italian Presidency will pursue discussions on improvements to the VAT system in order to make it more resilient and simpler for economic operators. The Presidency will further progress on the proposals on standard VAT returns and the VAT treatment of vouchers.
- The Council will be working towards an agreement on the proposal on Energy Taxation.
See for the full programme of the Italian Presidency: