Communication at OECD is problem says senior official

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

Copyright © Legal Benchmarking Limited and its affiliated companies 2026

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

Communication at OECD is problem says senior official

Mary Bennett, the head of OECD’s tax treaty and transfer pricing division, said communication is a barrier to the Centre for Tax Policy and Administration improving its reputation, but steps are being taken to change this.

oecd150.gif

The OECD has been criticised by ActionAid and other non-government organisations for its bias towards member countries but Bennett said the body’s efforts are simply not communicated well enough.

Bennett, who is leaving the organisation in October, said the OECD often helps developing countries to develop their transfer pricing systems but this information is not publicised well enough, either because the country in question is reluctant for the wider world to know that it needs help, or the OECD does not communicate the information effectively online.

“We are overwhelmed with requests from developing countries to help them and we have a number of programmes in place,” said Bennett. “We have to be smarter about web capability. There’s work being done on the internet site that will be more descriptive about what’s going on but it takes a lot of resources.”

Bennett said OECD staff often had to choose whether it is better to spend resources on helping countries or improving communication.

Bennett made the remarks in an exclusive interview with TPWeek where she discusses her tenure at the OECD and her move back to Baker & McKenzie. Stay tuned for more information.

more across site & shared bottom lb ros

More from across our site

The deal, reportedly worth $400m, will add Svalner Atlas’s 50-partner Nordic and Benelux presence to Ryan’s rapidly growing global footprint
The combined firm, which comprises over 1,400 lawyers, will boast robust tax practices in both the UK and US
Cascading tax reform, bullish foreign investment and vigorous TP audits have made Italy’s tax advisory market dynamic and stiffly competitive
As ITR data reveals that 2025 saw more than double the amount of private client hires than 2024, it seems firms are jostling for position
The US multinational paid 20% more tax in 2025 than 2024, it said; in other news, more than 25,000 HMRC staff have been upskilled on AI
Belt and Road Initiative countries face tax incentive conundrums due to pillar two, but relatively few countries would seek to scrap the project, ITR has heard
Hany Elnaggar examines how the OECD’s global minimum tax is reshaping the GCC’s investment incentive landscape, shifting the region from rate-based competition toward substance-driven economic positioning
The acquisition of a two-partner practice from Stephenson Harwood means that Charles Russell Speechlys has the largest private client team in Asia, the firm claimed
Complex and constantly shifting rules on global mobility mean ‘the risk is too great’ for staff to work abroad on personal time, EY’s Maureen Flood tells ITR
While it’s great that the OECD is alive to multinationals’ fears of being caught in a compliance trap, the ‘common understanding’ illustrates a worrying lack of readiness
Gift this article