EU, Turkey agree to negotiate on tax reforms

The European Union and Turkey agreed on Tuesday to open negotiations on tax reform as part of Ankara's stalled bid for accession to the 27-nation bloc, the Czech EU presidency said on Tuesday. Czech Foreign Minister Jan Kohout described the agreement as a significant step on Turkey’s path towards the European Union. Turkey will have to align its laws with EU standards on value-added tax and excise duties, and eliminate “discriminatory” levies on alcohol and imported tobacco. Taxation is only the 11th of 35 negotiating chapters that Turkey must complete before it can enter the EU, where many citizens are sceptical about taking in the mainly Muslim state.