man muss sich das mal in letzter konsequenz vorstellen: da kommen die hochwohlgeborenen richter zu brüssel und entscheiden gegen einen SOUVERÄNEN STAAT dergestallt, dass diesem die SELBSTVERANTWORTLICHE gestaltung seiner (steuer)gesetze schlicht und einfach verboten wird


nun sind ja die azoren nicht gerade die offshore-jurisdiction nr. 1... aber der entscheid hat mit sicherheit auswirkungen auf länder wir MONACA und/oder GIBRALTAR


lang lebe europa!!!


ffbkdavid@creatrustconsult.com

www.creatrustconsult.com



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BRUSSELS -(Dow Jones)- The European Union's highest court Wednesday said tax breaks in Portugal's Azores islands are illegal, a ruling that could push the bloc closer to a common tax regime.

The Azores, which are roughly 1,500 kilometers west of Portugal, in the middle of the Atlantic, lowered its income and corporate tax rates in 1999 and 2000.

European Commission regulators in 2002 said the tax cuts gave the Azores an economic advantage at the expense of other E.U. areas and ordered the region to raise its rates. Portugal appealed that decision at the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg.

In its ruling, the court said the Azores doesn't have enough political and economic independence to set tax rates that are different from other Portuguese areas.

The Azores doesn't have a reputation as a tax haven, but the court's decision could affect well-known tax shelters such as Monaco and Gibraltar, a U.K. territory at the southern tip of Spain, according to tax experts.

The U.K. supported Portugal's appeal to the court, saying a decision against the tax cuts would raise "regional autonomy issues of considerable constitutional importance."