APMDD co-sponsored and participated in a “Roundtable on Reforms in International Taxation and Financial Transparency: Towards a Regional Agenda for Asia” last November 21, 2016 in New Delhi.
APMDD co-sponsored and participated in a “Roundtable on Reforms in International Taxation and Financial Transparency: Towards a Regional Agenda for Asia” last November 21, 2016 in New Delhi. The Centre for Budget and Governance Accountability (CBGA) and Financial Transparency Coalition (FTC) led in organizing this event.
Claudette Arboleda represented APMDD in the discussions on the proposal of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) to establish an Asia – Pacific Tax Forum for Sustainable Development. This is envisioned as a body that is more inclusive and democratic than the OECD/G20-led process and other regional initiatives.
UN ESCAP released a paper last March 2016 describing the proposal including objectives and working blueprint and institutional structure. (See paper here http://www.unescap.org/sites/default/files/1-A-P-Tax-Forum-a-proposal-ESCAP-secretariat.pdf.)
Participants further discussed national and sub-regional priorities across Asia and the relevance of the tax forum to their contexts as well as the standing proposal of civil society for a Global Tax Body.
Around 25 participants – tax authorities and civil society from Malaysia, Indonesia, Nepal, Bangladesh, Maldives and India, and regional CSOs – APMDD and Forum Asia attended the event.