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

This event is organised by the Global Economic Governance Programme.

The event is open to all, no registration required. For more information email: gegevents@univ.ox.ac.uk