David Campbell Bannerman (ECR). – Madam President, one of the areas the EU is not meant to interfere in is that of national tax sovereignty, yet here we have not one but two reports, Tang and Lamassoure, that propose EU tax harmonisation by harmonising the corporate tax base. Indeed, they set a floor – a base level below which corporation taxes cannot be set. Will that floor be 33% as in France? President Macron has called for a binding, harmonised range of tax rates, backed by a penalty of lost cohesion funding if it is not followed. This is simply tax trespass.

Pity poor Ireland with its 12.5% corporation tax. Mr Varadkar, stop exaggerating border issues for your EU paymasters and wake up to EU proposals that threaten your entire economy! For the EU proposes to abolish unanimous votes – so bye-bye to the Irish veto. Will plans to consolidate taxes, to share them round the whole EU, end all national budget control? That fits with the proposed eurozone Common Finance Minister.

A common corporate tax base is simply an …

(The President cut off the speaker)