EU: Juncker speaks up about tax deal fallout

European Commissioner President Jean-Claude Juncker has spoken out since the fallout from the so-called LuxLeaks reports, in which a slew of documents allegedly showed Juncker had facilitated sweetheart tax deals for foreign corporations while he was Prime Minister of Luxembourg.

Juncker admitted that the fallout had damaged his reputation as head of the Commission. He denied responsibility for the tax arrangements disclosed in the LuxLeaks documents, however.

The documents showed tens of billions of dollars worth of tax breaks offered to foreign companies including Ikea, Disney and Skype.

In an interview, Juncker said of the backlash: “I don’t feel damages subjectively because I know what I did and did not do. But I am not naïve, not a village idio, and I have to objectively take on board that many people in Europe now have doubts about the honorable side of the new commission president. I have to live with that.”

The European Commission’s competition chief Margrethe Vestager is currently investigating several tax arrangements made between EU Member States and various foreign companies. Vestager said last week that she would like to conclude those ongoing probes by mid-2015 before opening new cases.

Full content: The Guardian

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