§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list(a) the names, titles and grades of the officials who sit on the EU advisory committee on value added tax, (b) the number of times, and the dates, on which it has met since January 2002, (c) the agenda items it has considered since January 2002, (d) the decisions it has made since January 2002 and (e) the means used to communicate the decisions to the House. [110284]
§ John HealeyThe EU Advisory Committee on value added tax consists of delegates drawn from each of the 15 European member states. The UK is represented by officials from HM Customs and Excise.
The Committee has met six times since January 2002, on 20 March 2002, 19 June 2002, 20 November 2002, 8 January 2003, 10 March 2003 and 4 June 2003.
The agenda items considered by the Committee related to questions on the application of the Community provisions on value added tax. The Committee has no legal power to take decisions. The Committee's role is to examine the application of the Community provisions on value added tax, and to serve as a forum for an exchange of views in order to reach guidelines on a uniform application of those provisions. Some provisions of EU VAT law require member states to consult the Committee before acting.