Seminar: Tax Evasion and Revenue Policy in Development Finance
September 28th, 2009
A side event at the World Bank/IMF Meetings in Istanbul
10:00am – 12:00pm
October 4, 2009
Istanbul Convention Centre
Istanbul, Turkey
Full Event Concept (PDF)
Agenda (PDF)
Description: The financial crisis has increased the focus on sources of development finance other than ODA. Sensible revenue policies and improved tax administrations are becoming more important. However, large sums of money are either evaded from poor countries’ public coffers, or investors minimize their contributions by advanced tax planning and avoidance. Other forms of illicit flows affect public finance in similarly negative ways. Lack of capacity in poor countries, a global system of rules that does not adequately reflect the needs of developing countries, and the role played by a global shadow financial system all combine to complicate the task.
How are these problems being addressed? Do global rules of taxation, accounting, auditing etc. have to be changed – or will capacity building be sufficient? What can developing countries learn from each other? Is the era of tax havens really over? These and other questions will be debated in this panel on tax evasion and revenue policy.
The panel is sponsored by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.