Exclusive: European Commissioner Šemeta backs FAT

In a speech to the European Parliament last week, Algirdas Šemeta, European Commissioner for Taxation and Customs Union, Audit and Anti-Fraud, supported the “promising option” of a financial activities tax (FAT). In an exclusive interview, International Tax Review spoke to Commissioner Šemeta about why he favours a FAT at the EU level over a financial transactions tax (FTT), how it might work and the challenges to be overcome.