How to Reform the Global Tax System?

The global tax system is broken and developing countries are paying dearly as a result. The International Monetary Fund estimates that developing countries lose an estimated $213bn a year, close to 2 per cent of their GDP, because of cross-border tax planning by multi-national enterprises. Across the board, tax evasion deprives governments of needed revenue to finance public services and development priorities.

In October 2015, the OECD and G20 launched a new initiative to address international tax avoidance. Will it work?

An expert panel will discuss the following questions:

• Why is the global economy so vulnerable to corporate tax evasion?
• What is being done to address international tax avoidance?
• What are the strengths and limitations of existing and emerging national, regional and global initiatives?
• What efforts are developing country governments making to reform their tax collection and generation systems?
• What more needs to be done, and whose responsibility is it?

Speakers:

• Alex Cobham, Director of Research, Tax Justice Network and Visiting Fellow, King’s College London
• Professor Michael Devereux, Director of the Oxford University Centre of Business Taxation, Professor of Business Taxation, Said Business School, University of Oxford
• Professor Valpy Fitzgerald, Professor of International Development Finance, Oxford Department of International Development