As head of the International Cooperation and Tax Competition Division in the CTPA from September 2007, Saint-Amans was responsible for the OECD’s work on harmful tax practices, money laundering and tax crimes, the tax aspects of countering bribery of foreign officials and administrative cooperation between tax authorities. In October 2009 he was appointed head of the Global Forum Division, created to service the Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes, a programme with the participation of more than 100 countries.
Saint-Amans joined the CTPA in 2007 from the Direction Générale des Impôts (DGI) of the Ministry of Finance in Paris where he was deputy director in charge of litigation. During his time at the DGI he was also responsible for issues such as following the EU work on direct taxes, legislation on wealth tax and mergers and spin offs, tax treaty negotiations and mutual agreement procedures. He is a former delegate and chairman of the OECD’s Working Party No 1 (tax treaties) of the Committee on Fiscal Affairs. He was also a member of the UN group of experts on international tax cooperation.
Appointing a man to lead the OECD's tax secretariat who has been closely identified with the organisation's tax transparency initiatives over the last number of years is a sign that the Committee of Fiscal Affairs is committed to this line of work.
