EU tells Belgium and France to end tax exemptions for ports

The European Commission has given Belgium and France until the end of 2017 to abolish corporate tax exemptions currently granted to their ports, which are in breach of EU state aid rules.

Profits by port operators must be taxed under “normal national corporate tax laws to avoid distortions of competition,” noted a statement from the EU.

From January 1, 2018, all ports will be subject to the same corporate taxation rules as other companies, it added.