Twelve EU countries have blocked proposals on moves to expose firms' tax avoidance, which would mean companies could be forced to reveal profits made and taxes paid in each member state.

The rule would have forced multinational companies to reveal how much profit they make and how much tax they pay in each of the 28 member states.

Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, Cyprus, Latvia, Slovenia, Estonia, Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, and Croatia, Sweden all voted against the proposals, while Germany abstai...