Translation of "commissions authentiques versées aux agents " (French → English) :

The administrative costs of the 'Youth' programme as a whole seem very high, even if one takes account of the fact that it comprises a multitude of small projects (EUR 3.3 million for technical support, almost 30 Commission staff working exclusively with the programme, millions spent on information and training, and an annual EU subsidy of circa EUR 7 million for the national agencies, which is matched by an equal amount from the Member States).

According to the information available to the Commission, all the Member States which still allowed firms to deduct commissions paid to public employees abroad from their taxable profit have already amended their legislation, or are about to do so, in order to implement the principles stated both in the recommendation by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in April 1996, which advocated prohibiting the deductibility of commissions paid to public employees abroad, and also in the Commission communication of 21 May 1997 on the Union’s anti-corruption policy.

In his reply to written question P-1844/99 Commissioner Bolkestein confirmed the existence of laws which allow Belgian firms to pay ‘secret commissions’ or bribes to private-sector businessmen in countries where such payments are recognised as ‘standard practice’ and to receive tax benefits for these payments in the same way as they do for business expenses.

In his reply to written question P-1844/99 Commissioner Bolkestein confirmed the existence of laws which allow Belgian firms to pay ‘secret commissions’ or bribes to private-sector businessmen in countries where such payments are recognised as ‘standard practice’ and to receive tax benefits for these payments in the same way as they do for business expenses.

Further to a recommendation of the OECD of 1996 and the Commission's 1997 Communication, all EU Member States that still allowed or tolerated the tax deductibility of bribes paid to foreign public officials have amended their legislation with a view to banning this possibility.

4. In this Chapter, the term 'buying commissions' means fees paid by an importer to his agent for the service of representing him in the purchase of the goods being valued.