Leaders of the G8 major economies have agreed new measures to clamp down on money launderers, illegal tax evaders and corporate tax avoiders.
LOUGH ERNE DECLARATION
Private enterprise drives growth, reduces poverty, and creates jobs and
prosperity for people around the world. Governments have a special
responsibility to make proper rules and promote good governance. Fair taxes,
increased transparency and open trade are vital drivers of this. We will make a
real difference by doing the following:
1. Tax authorities across the world should automatically share information
to fight the scourge of tax evasion.
2. Countries should change rules that let companies shift their profits across
borders to avoid taxes, and multinationals should report to tax authorities
what tax they pay where.
3. Companies should know who really owns them and tax collectors and
law enforcers should be able to obtain this information easily.
4. Developing countries should have the information and capacity to collect
the taxes owed them – and other countries have a duty to help them.
5. Extractive companies should report payments to all governments - and
governments should publish income from such companies.
6. Minerals should be sourced legitimately, not plundered from conflict
zones.
7. Land transactions should be transparent, respecting the property rights of
local communities.
8. Governments should roll back protectionism and agree new trade deals
that boost jobs and growth worldwide.
9. Governments should cut wasteful bureaucracy at borders and make it
easier and quicker to move goods between developing countries.
10.Governments should publish information on laws, budgets, spending,
national statistics, elections and government contracts in a way that is
easy to read and re-use, so that citizens can hold them to account.
18 June 2013
