news

TOMs Stalemate Continues as EU Fails to Agree on Reform

Brian Kirsch and David Bennett from Eventia Regulation Committee have attended joint meetings with ABTA and ETOA in the on-going campaign for reform of the EU Tour Operators’ Margin Scheme (TOMS).

Kirsch and Bennett met with Mike Monk from ABTA and Tom Jenkins of ETOA and then again with senior Treasury and Revenue Officials in Whitehall last week. The joint action by these trade associations sent a closely argued case on behalf of the travel and events sector that TOMS in its current form is creating unfairness and distortions to competition which have the potential to damage the competitiveness of the UK travel and events sectors.

Treasury officials took the UK case to a crucial meeting in Brussels on 23^rd November which was to discuss the Belgian Presidency’s compromise text on TOMS reform. Yet again, officials from various EU countries could not reach agreement so reform of TOMS remains unresolved, and may now have to continue under the Hungarian Presidency which starts on 1^st January 2011.

Eventia, with its partner trade associations will continue the campaign to achieve an outcome which protects the vital interests of the UK travel and events sectors.