Towards sustaining the future of taxation: Is a World Tax Organisation necessary and feasible in today’s globalised world?

Published on 01 Jul 09 by "AUSTRALIAN TAX FORUM" JOURNAL ARTICLE

The paper analyses the need for, and feasibility of, creating a World Tax Organisation (WTO) in the area of taxation law. Considering whether to adopt an international approach to regulate taxation is best understood in the context of how businesses and governments have changed the way they operate in a globalised environment. Many businesses have ceased to have a distinct national identity in an economic sense and have become global and multinational in both their attitudes and operations. Relaxation of many governments’ policies, that have traditionally inhibited cross-border transactions, has assisted this process. We argue that the need to adopt an international approach to tax policy in an increasingly integrated and globalised world is self-evident and supported by the literature. However, there remains reluctance on the part of countries to adopt multilateral approaches to solving problems in the taxation arena. Furthermore, while the literature generally argues that a global framework and international cooperation to govern taxation policy is desirable, few have considered how this could effectively be achieved. Currently, no international body like the World Trade Organisation exists for tax matters, with the main forum for international tax cooperation being the OECD.

Author profiles

Prof Dale Pinto CTA-Life

Dale is currently Professor of Taxation Law in the Curtin Law School as well as being the Chair of the Academic Board at Curtin University. Dale is the author and co-author of numerous books, refereed articles and national and international conference papers and sits on the editorial board of a number of peer-reviewed journals as well as being the Editor-in-Chief of several refereed journals. He is a member of the Board of CPA Australia and is also a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Law as well as being a Chartered Accountant, Chartered Tax Adviser and Honorary Life Member of the Tax Institute. He is also a Life Member of the Australasian Tax Teachers Association and the Australasian Law Teachers Association. Dale has been a registered tax agent for more than 25 years and was appointed by the Assistant Treasurer as one of the inaugural members of the National Tax Practitioners Board. He is a current member of the Board of Taxation’s Special Advisory Panel and the ATO’s Tax Technical Panel as well as the Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s Economic Development Forum in WA. Dale is a member of the Tertiary Education and Quality Standards Agency (TEQSA) Expert Panel in Accounting, Taxation and International Education. - Current at 13 August 2019

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Prof Adrian Sawyer

Adrian is Professor of Taxation in the Department of Accounting and Information Systems at the University of Canterbury, Christchurch NZ. - Current at 01 March 2015

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