31/03/2021 – Twelve no or only nominal tax jurisdictions¹ began their first tax information exchanges today under the Forum on Harmful Tax Practice’s (FHTP) global standard on substantial activities. The standard ensures that mobile business income can no longer be parked in a low tax jurisdiction without the core business functions being carried out from that jurisdiction and that the countries where the parent entities and beneficial owners are tax resident get access through regular exchanges of information.

 

These new annual exchanges cover information on the identity, activities and ownership chain of entities established in no or only nominal tax jurisdictions that are either non-compliant with substance requirements or engage in intellectual property or other high-risk activities.

 

"Today’s first exchanges of information on the previously unknown operations of entities in low tax jurisdictions, are good news for tax administrations around the world, as they will now have regular access to information on the activities and income of entities in low tax jurisdictions that are held or controlled by their taxpayers," said Pascal Saint-Amans, Director of the OECD Centre for Tax Policy and Administration.

 

The exchanges will enable receiving tax administrations to carry out risk assessments and to apply their controlled-foreign company, transfer pricing and other anti-base erosion and profit shifting provisions.

 

The FHTP is monitoring both the legal and practical implementation of the standard by no or only nominal tax jurisdiction through a rigorous, annual peer review process under Action 5 of the OECD/G20 Inclusive Framework on BEPS. The next annual results will be released in December 2021.

 

For more information, visit: www.oecd.org/tax/beps/beps-actions/action5/

 

Media queries should be directed to Pascal Saint-Amans, Director of the OECD Centre for Tax Policy and Administration (+33 1 45 24 91 08), Achim Pross, Head of the International Co-operation and Tax Administration Division at the OECD Centre for Tax Policy and Administration (+33 1 45 24 98 92) or the Communications team.