The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to determine whether certain maritime entities in Malta are erroneously receiving tax breaks. Under existing guidelines, Member States can reduce taxes for “for maritime transport of passengers or freight under certain conditions,” but Malta’s tonnage tax scheme appears to cast too wide a net – including in the favorable tax bracket fishing vessels, yachts, oil rigs, and lessors and financial institutions who themselves conduct no shipping activity at all. Commissioner Joaquin Almunia stated that such inclusion “seems neither justified from a competition perspective, nor appropriate in times of high budgetary constraints.”
The Commission seeks to address concerns that the favorable Maltese tax scheme may distort competition among EU member states by “attracting companies and vessels from other Member States.”
Full content: EU Commission
Related content: The Current Financial Crisis and State Aid in the European Union: Has It Been Timely and Appropriate?
Want more news? Subscribe to CPI’s free daily newsletter for more headlines and updates on antitrust developments around the world.
Featured News
UFC Reaches $375 Million Settlement in Antitrust Case
Feb 6, 2025 by
CPI
Brazilian Architecture Council Convicted of Antitrust Violations
Feb 6, 2025 by
CPI
Bipartisan Bill Seeks to Ban Chinese AI Software from US Government Devices
Feb 6, 2025 by
CPI
Senators Call for Investigation into RealPage Algorithm’s Impact on Military Housing Costs
Feb 6, 2025 by
CPI
ECB Seeks Faster Digital Euro Legislation Amid US Stablecoin Push
Feb 6, 2025 by
CPI
Antitrust Mix by CPI
Antitrust Chronicle® – International Criminal Enforcement
Jan 23, 2025 by
CPI
The Antitrust Division’s Recent Work to Combat International Cartels
Jan 23, 2025 by
Emma Burnham & Benjamin Christenson
Information Sharing: The New Frontier of U.S. Antitrust Enforcement
Jan 23, 2025 by
Brian P. Quinn, Casey Kovarik & Michael Tubach
The Key Role of Guidelines on Exchanges of Information Among Competitors and the Divergent Transatlantic Paths
Jan 23, 2025 by
Rosa Abrantes-Metz & Albert Metz
Leniency, Whistleblowers, and Compliance
Jan 23, 2025 by
Richard Powers, Tara O’Malley & Cory Gordon