Financial Transparency Coalition

Some concluding thoughts on the G20/OECD BEPS process At last month’s G20 Leaders’ Summit in Antalya, Turkey, leaders of some of the world’s largest economies endorsed measures to plug loopholes in international taxation that allow transnational corporations to dodge taxes. But as drafting of the initiative, known as the Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS)

With the BRICS Summit scheduled for 8-9 July, a few days before the Financing for Development (FfD) Conference in Addis Ababa, BRICS countries have a unique opportunity this year to strengthen their cooperation and relevance as a group by committing to working collectively towards an ambitious FfD outcome.

While Brazil is the only member of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, Indian, China, South Africa) bloc still alive in this year's World Cup, members from all five nations will reconvene on the Brazilian town of Fortaleza, just days after the tournament's conclusion. The 2013 BRICS Summit, held in South Africa, reaffirmed the group's commitment to economic development and stability. Ahead of this year's summit, which will be held July 15-17, the FTC offered a submission to the group on how and why financial transparency issues are vital to BRICS' agenda. You can read the full submission here.

For the first time, the Task Force Regional Representatives delivered specific recommendations to the BRICS governments, which met in South Africa this week. The BRICS countries hold a unique position among developing countries and emerging markets: they suffer from the same persistent problems relating to international taxation, transfer pricing, exchange of information, and tax evasion and avoidance that affect the rest of the developing world, but unlike many developing countries, hold significant power and influence at the international institutions and fora. All five BRICS are members of the G20, and Russia holds the Presidency this year.