UN Adopts Drafts on Strengthening Global Tax Cooperation

New Delhi (ABC Live): The Economic and Social Council wrapped up its two-day coordination and management segment today with the consensus adoption of a series of drafts, including on strengthening global tax cooperation.

Bolivia, on behalf of the “Group of 77” developing countries and China, introduced the first of two drafts titled “Committee of Experts on International Cooperation in Tax Matters”, dated 21 May.  The second text, submitted today by the Council’s Vice-President, was dated 13 June and reflected developments in connection with the 5 June special meeting of the Council on the topic.

By its terms, the 54-member Council noted that Committee’s decision at its ninth session to set up six subcommittees on substantial tax matters:  transfer pricing; tax treatment of services; information exchange; base erosion, profit-shifting; extractive industries taxation issues for developing countries; and negotiation of tax treaties.

It decided to continue, at its 2015 special meeting on international cooperation in tax matters, consultations on options to strengthen institutional arrangements, including on the issue of the conversion of the Committee into an intergovernmental subsidiary body of the Council.  It requested the Secretary-General to submit a report to the special meeting on such options, within existing resources and reflecting the views of Member States.

By a draft decision, the Council approved the agenda of the tenth session of the Committee and decided it would be held in Geneva from 27 to 31 October.

The Council also adopted draft resolutions titled respectively:  “United Nations Inter-Agency Task Force on the Prevention and Control of Non-communicable Diseases”; “Report of the Committee for Development Policy”; and “Follow-up to the International Conference on Financing for Development”.

Adopting two other draft decisions, the Council appointed the Permanent Representative of Uruguay to the United Nations as a member of the Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Haiti, and decided to hold the StatisticalCommission’s forty-sixth session in New York from 3 to 6 March 2015.

The representative of Belarus withdrew a draft resolution titled “The family and sustainable development” (document E/2014/L.14), saying several delegations had not worked constructively on the matter.

Also today, David O’Connor, Chief of the Policy and Analysis Branch of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs’ Division for Sustainable Development, introduced the report on “Mainstreaming of the three dimensions of sustainable development throughout the United Nations system”.

José Antonio Ocampo, Chair of the Committee for Development Policy, introduced that body’s report of its sixteenth session, held from 24 to 28 March (document E/2014/33).

Gabriella Vukovich, Vice-Chair of the Statistical Commission, introduced that organ’s report via video link on its forty-fifth session, held from 4 to 7 March.

Also speaking were representative of Germany, Republic of Korea, Cuba and Uruguay.

The Council will meet again on Monday, 23 June, to hold its humanitarian affairs segment.

Dinesh Singh Rawat says, " I feel pain after reading the drafted documents, that contribution of India was negligible whereas, India be will be effected more then else. Registering our National prospective in international platforms  should be priority area of Indian strategic communication at all possible  international platforms. In the era of information, more you explore the your prospective greater will be your participation in governing the situations in the hands."