Saint-Amans to lead debate on tax transparency

In his keynote speech to open International Tax Review’sTax & Transparency Forum in London on May 2, Saint-Amans will argue that more than ever in the economic climate, tax policies must ensure revenue collection while favouring growth, promoting employment and reducing inequalities.

“In that context, tax compliance is key to ensure that revenue is effectively collected from those who owe the tax to guarantee the fairness of tax systems,” Saint-Amans told International Tax Review.

Saint-Amans said that in the globalised economy, tax sovereignties offer opportunities and risks. Tax cooperation is a key factor to protect sovereignty and ensure better compliance.

Saint-Amans believes that in the international tax field, the challenges are related to the lack of transparency of a number of jurisdictions, the risk of illegitimate profit shifting to low tax jurisdictions via the misuse of corporate vehicles or the abuse of transfer pricing rules, as part of aggressive tax planning.

“The OECD has been engaged in promoting compliance in the context of better tax policies and more efficient tax administrations,” says Saint-Amans. “Many projects are underway which are now increasingly incorporating the needs and the views of emerging and developing countries.”

Among other initiatives, he will tell delegates about the OECD’s action on promoting transparency and exchange of information through the Global Forum peer reviews, Multilateral Convention, and the promotion of automatic exchange of information. He will discuss adapting transfer pricing rules to make them more implementable, in particular by developing countries, and more stringent as regards the location of intangibles.

He will also talk about providing tax administrations with instruments to better address aggressive tax planning and capacity building in developing countries through the task force on tax and development.

The Forum is free to attend for tax directors and NGOs. For a full programme and details of how to register, click here.

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