United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres appointed a distinguished group of 25 tax experts from around the world to serve as members of the United Nations Committee of Experts on International Cooperation in Tax Matters for the 2021 to 2025 term. The list of new members can be found here.
The UN Tax Committee fosters international cooperation on domestic and international tax matters and guides countries’ efforts to advance stronger and more forward-looking tax policies adapted to the realities of a globalized trade and investment, an increasingly digitalized economy and worsening environmental degradation. It assists countries in their efforts to prevent double or multiple taxation as well as non-taxation, broaden their tax base, strengthen their tax administrations, and curb international tax evasion and avoidance by developing guidance and encouraging an inclusive setting of norms and policies.
The new Committee membership brings together a diverse group of tax practitioners, with expertise in a wide range of areas, such as double tax treaties, transfer pricing, avoiding and resolving tax disputes, taxation of the extractive industries, taxation of the digital economy, environmental taxation, and value-added taxes.
In welcoming the appointments, the President of the Economic and Social Council, H.E. Mr. Munir Akram said, “I am delighted to see that such a diverse and capable group of experts has been appointed. I have high expectations for the Committee’s continued success in challenging times, which are nevertheless full of opportunity to stem the tide of tax-related illicit financial flows and shore up developing country capacities to mobilize and invest domestic resources in their own development.”
The Committee gives special focus to developing countries and their policy environment. The majority of the newly appointed members come from developing countries, and, for the first time since its inception, the Committee has a majority of women experts.
Tax Committee nominations have been met with interest form the international tax community. “The UN Tax Committee has been impressive, technically unpacking salient tax matters and new areas, such as taxation of the digitalized economy. ATAF looks forward to engaging with the new membership and extending the same technical support to the new Africa contingent as we did to their predecessors,” said Logan Wort, Executive Director of the African Tax Administration Forum (ATAF).
In welcoming the appointment of the new Committee membership, Márcio F. Verdi, the Executive Secretary of the Inter-American Center of Tax Administrations (CIAT), outlined "CIAT supports the UN Tax Committee's valuable work to enhance cooperation and strengthen tax administrations from developing countries, including through the exchange of experiences and best practices among countries and multilateral organizations."
The first meeting of the new membership of the Committee will take place in October 2021, during which the experts will determine the work plan for their term.