There are two big ‘policy coherence’ issues when it comes to taxation and the way that development assistance works. The first is the way donors often demand tax exemptions for aid-funded projects. If you think about how aid can be quite a large share of GDP in some low-income countries, these are large sums at… Continue reading From theory to practice: development finance institutions and Global Forum peer reviews
Blog
Thoughts on Deloitte and the China-Mauritius-Mozambique route
Sunday’s Observer carried a story, prompted by ActionAid, based on a presentation given by Deloitte to a group of Chinese investors. The presentation explained how to avoid withholding tax and capital gains tax in Mozambique by routing the investment through Mauritius. It’s great to see this kind of common or garden tax arbitrage highlighted and… Continue reading Thoughts on Deloitte and the China-Mauritius-Mozambique route
Is tax treaty arbitration really a bad thing for developing countries?
I’m at the United Nations tax committee annual session this week, where I’ve learnt that I have to be careful what I write here, after a couple of posts from this blog were included in an input document [pdf]. Erk! I’ve been taking the opportunity to discuss with delegates the recent article [£] by the… Continue reading Is tax treaty arbitration really a bad thing for developing countries?
What ‘tax responsibility’ might look like in the real world
In my conversations with tax executives from multinational businesses, I’m used to hearing them talk about the decision any business makes about how aggressive its tax positioning is going to be. The position advanced by many campaigners is that a socially responsible business will make a conscious decision to be at the less aggressive end… Continue reading What ‘tax responsibility’ might look like in the real world
Did you spot the double taxation storyline in Mad Men?
I’m a big fan of AMC’s Mad Men, and have only been more greatly endeared to it by the realisation that one of its most heartbreaking storylines was in fact all about double taxation. In season five, Lane Pryce, the Englishman in New York, is caught out by an unexpected tax bill, with tragic consequences.… Continue reading Did you spot the double taxation storyline in Mad Men?
‘Spillover analysis’ as a frame of reference for tax and development policy
Last year, when Parliament’s International Development Committee was conducting an inquiry into tax and development, ActionAid (where I worked) was calling on the government to assess the impact of changes to the UK’s Controlled Foreign Companies (CFC) rules on developing countries. At the time, we were citing a report from the IMF, World Bank, OECD… Continue reading ‘Spillover analysis’ as a frame of reference for tax and development policy
Martin Hearson 