THE OECD has welcomed a new model international tax agreement
designed to improve cross-border tax compliance and boost transparency.
Developed by the United States, France, Germany,
Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom, the model allows the implementation of the
Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FACTA) through automatic exchange between
governments, reduces compliance costs for financial institutions and provides
for reciprocity.
The model agreement calls on the OECD to work with
interested countries on adapting the terms of the agreement to create a common
model for automatic exchange of information, including the development of
reporting and due diligence standards for financial institutions.
OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría said: “I
warmly welcome the co-operative and multilateral approach on which the model
agreement is based. We at the OECD have always stressed the need to combat
offshore tax evasion while keeping compliance costs as low as possible. A
proliferation of different systems is in nobody’s interest. We are happy to
redouble our efforts in this area, working closely with interested countries and
stakeholders to design global solutions to global problems to the benefit of
governments and business around the world.”
As a next step, the OECD will organise, in
cooperation with the Business and Industry Advisory Committee (BIAC) to the
OECD, a briefing session on the “Model Intergovernmental Agreement on Improving
Tax Compliance and Implementing FATCA” at OECD headquarters in Paris in
September 2012. The Organisation will then quickly advance to design common
systems to reduce costs and increase benefits for governments and businesses
alike.
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