Center for Freedom and Prosperity
For Immediate Release
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
202-285-0244
www.freedomandprosperity.org
OECD Duplicity Mars Global Tax Forum
Paris-Based Bureaucracy Deliberately Mischaracterizes Proceedings,
Pushes New Attack on Tax Planning by Business Community
(Mexico City, Wednesday, September 2, 2009) – The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s (OECD) Global Tax Forum concluded today amidst widespread complaints about the Paris-based bureaucracy’s bad-faith actions. Delegates from low-tax jurisdictions repeatedly remarked that the OECD grossly mischaracterized events in documents that were supposed to summarize prior discussions and form the basis of future reports and actions. Andy Quinlan, President of the Center for Freedom and Prosperity Foundation, commented that, “The OECD engaged in a pervasive pattern of dishonesty in order to advance the bad tax policy of high-tax nations.”
Another notable development was the OECD’s push to expand its campaign to also include “tax avoidance” and other forms of legal tax planning. While temporarily thwarted, Dan Mitchell of the Cato Institute stated, “As we warned before the Forum, the OECD is now targeting the business community, deliberately seeking to blur the distinction between tax avoidance and tax evasion.” Mitchell added that, “Lower tax rates are the best way to reduce both avoidance and evasion, but the OECD’s attempted assault on tax planning indicates future trouble for investors, entrepreneurs, and companies – particularly multinationals.”
The Center for Freedom and Prosperity remains committed to its mission of defending tax competition, fiscal sovereignty, and financial privacy. The next step, according to CF&P, is to alert the business community about the risks presented by the OECD’s renewed campaign against lawful international tax planning.
Below is the link to the Strategic Memo released by CF&P before the Global Forum:
CF&P Strategic Memorandum: Protecting Good Tax Policy
http://www.freedomandprosperity.org/memos/m08-27-09/m08-27-09.shtml
Link to yesterday’s release on the “OECD Tries to Suppress Dissenting Views”
http://www.freedomandprosperity.org/press/p09-01-09/p09-01-09.shtml
For additional comments:
Andrew Quinlan can be reached at 202-285-0244, andy@freedomandprosperity.org
Dan Mitchell can be reached at 202-218-4615, dmitchell@cato.org
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