Oral Answers to Questions

Jane Ellison Excerpts

Tuesday 12th March 2013 Commons Chamber

[Tim Loughton (East Worthing and Shoreham) (Con)]

13. What steps he is taking to ensure that international companies pay the appropriate levels of tax on revenues earned in the UK.

[Jane Ellison (Battersea) (Con)]

15. What steps he is taking to improve international co-operation to tackle tax avoidance. [R]

[The Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury (Mr David Gauke)]

The Government are determined to ensure that multinational companies pay their fair share of tax. The UK is committed to taking multilateral action through the G20 and the OECD to tackle the issues of profit-shifting by multinationals and erosion of the corporate tax base. The OECD presented its initial report on addressing these issues at the G20 meeting in Moscow last month and will present a comprehensive action plan to tackle them at the G20 in July this year.

--- Later in debate ---

[Mr Gauke]

The point I would make is that we want to have an international tax system under which economic activity is taxed where that economic activity takes place. The fact is that the international rules have not moved with the times, but they need to do so, and I am delighted that the Chancellor of the Exchequer is leading the way in this debate.

[Jane Ellison]

Many of my constituents—particularly younger constituents and Church groups—are very interested in this agenda and are closely following what the Government are hoping to achieve this year. Is the Minister optimistic that our international partners will respond positively to this agenda and we can make progress on it?