Today, the European Court of Justice decided to annul the European Commission’s decision that Ireland’s tax treatment of Apple constituted illegal state aid.

Today, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists released another ground breaking tax exposure. The #MauritiusLeaks show how multinational corporations from all over the world have used Mauritius to avoid taxes, including on their own operations in some of the world’s poorest countries.

Under the headline Grand Theft Europe, the newsroom Correctiv, together with media outlets across Europe, have published the results of a cross-boundary investigation about large-scale international fraud with value added tax (VAT). According to the European Commission, this type of fraud is costing European governments around €50 billion each year.

Today, the European Court of Justice ruled against the European Commission, which had alleged that the Belgian tax scheme, known as the ‘excess profit scheme,’ provided illegal state aid worth around €700 million to multinational corporations.

Today, the European Commission kick-started the debate on whether to change EU decision making on tax matters, suggesting a stepwise move towards qualified majority voting, including giving an active role to the European Parliament.

Monday, 5 November marks the one-year anniversary of the publication of the Paradise Papers. In the immediate aftermath, the revelations caused political leaders to denounce tax dodging and promise improvements. However, one year after the scandal, most of the problems that led to Paradise Papers remain unaddressed.

Eurodad members Bank Information Center and 11.11.11, in collaboration with Inclusive Development International, Accountability Counsel, Urgewald, Ulu Foundation and Tarkapaw Youth Group, have released a report, Reckless Development: The IFC’s Dodgy Deals in Southeast Asia.

This new report, published jointly by six CEE CSOs including Eurodad members Glopolis, Demnet, IGO and Ekvilib Institute, looks at the tax dealings of major companies in six CEE countries.

According to Eurodad member Oxfam’s new report, “An Economy for the 99%”, the gap between rich and poor is far greater than had been feared.

After a wave of international tax scandals, the group of European governments in favour of greater tax transparency is finally beginning to grow. However, the battle is not yet won, as a number of governments remain opposed.