Will Morris

International Tax Review is part of Legal Benchmarking Limited, 1-2 Paris Garden, London, SE1 8ND

Copyright © Legal Benchmarking Limited and its affiliated companies 2025

Accessibility | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Modern Slavery Statement

Will Morris

t10p-morris-william365.jpg

Will Morris has a lot on his plate. The global tax policy director for GE also chairs the CBI (Confederation of British Industry) tax committee, the AmCham EU Tax Task Force, the European Tax Policy Forum and has just accepted the role of chairman of BIAC’s (Business and Industry Advisory Committee to the OECD) tax and fiscal policy committee, taking over from Chris Lenon.

On top of that, he is a priest at the Anglican church of St Martin-in-the-Fields, in London.

“As a part-time priest at St Martin-in-the- Fields, I try on a regular basis to bring together NGOs, government, business tax directors, academics, big 4, etcetera, together at St Martin’s to talk about tax and development issues in a neutral setting.”

Most people who work in tax policy understand the time commitments can be significant. But as Morris does more than most, how does he manage his time?

Morris says the answer is to this is practical and philosophical. “On the practical side, I view my role as chair of each of these groups as one of coordinator, facilitator and team builder - not micromanager or one-man-band.

“In terms of getting things done, none of these groups has particularly large secretariats, and I am not in a position to draft everything - even if I wanted to - so we work on a project/team basis.

“Specialists on the various committees take the lead on different subjects. I provide coordination, and ideas on direction, but the heavy lifting on each major project is done by a team. This has worked well at CBI and BIAC is also moving in that direction.

“The more philosophical answer is that I believe there is a real strategic synergy between these jobs because there are perhaps four or five relatively new, but very pressing, issues in international tax that apply at both national and international levels.”

These areas are developing countries’ needs to raise more revenue, the shift in economic power from OECD members to non-members, the taxation of intellectual property as a result of globalisation and the increasingly negative public reaction to corporate tax affairs.

View the complete Global Tax 50 list

Return to the top 10

more across site & shared bottom lb ros

More from across our site

It should be easy for advisers to be transparent about costs, Brown Rudnick partner Matthew Sharp said in response to exclusive ITR in-house data
The sprawling legislation phases out Joe Biden-era green tax incentives for businesses; in other news, the UK will reportedly maintain its DST despite US pressure
New French legislation should create a more consistent legal environment for taxing gains from management packages, say Bruno Knadjian and Sylvain Piémont of Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer
The South Africa vs SC ruling may embolden the tax authority to take a more aggressive approach to TP assessments, an adviser tells ITR
Indirect tax professionals now rate compliance as a bigger obstacle than technology and automation; in other news, Italy approved a VAT cut on art sales
AI-powered tax agents are likely to be the next big development in tax technology, says Russell Gammon of Tax Systems
FTI Consulting’s EMEA head of employment tax and reward tells ITR about celebrating diversity in the profession, his love of musicals, and what makes tax cool
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and US President Donald Trump have agreed that the countries will look to conclude a deal by July 21, 2025
The firm’s lack of transparency regarding its tax leaks scandal should see the ban extended beyond June 30, senators Deborah O’Neill and Barbara Pocock tell ITR
Despite posing significant administrative hurdles, digital services taxes remain ‘the best way forward’ for emerging economies, says Neil Kelley, COO of Ascoria
Gift this article