At the Common Market's modern headquarters in Brussels, earnest discussions continue on one of the more controversial dilemmas facing the new Europe: whether to close the tax loopholes that have turned airports and other travel facilities in the Market's six (soon to be ten) nations into oases of cheap, duty-free liquor, perfumes, cameras and other items.
It is no small matter. Alitalia, KLM, Lufthansa and Sabena have appealed for preservation of duty-free shops, which are a source of considerable income for the airports. Also worried is British Railways, which operates ferries that carry 6,000,000 travelers across the English Channel every year. These...