Final segment of the organisational session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee of the UN Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation is about to begin - after 'informal informals', we now await agreement on key question of decision-making rules webtv.un.org/en/asset/k12... - ThreadSky

alexcobham.bsky.social • 17 days ago

Final segment of the organisational session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee of the UN Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation is about to begin - after 'informal informals', we now await agreement on key question of decision-making rules https://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k12/k12lduvwih

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alexcobham.bsky.social•17 days ago

Two main decisions taken.

i. The second early protocol to be negotiated will be on dispute prevention and resolution (a 'win' for OECD members, since most G77 members had indicated openness but support for the IFFs or taxing wealth topics)

alexcobham.bsky.social•17 days ago

ii. The decision-making rules have been agreed. In line with the Norway-Mexico proposal, we have every effort to achieve consensus, and then 2/3 majority voting if needed on matters of substance in protocols. (The ref to UNGA rule 161 puts standard committee procedure in place, except as specified)

alexcobham.bsky.social•17 days ago

What does that mean? There will be a 2/3 majority required for substance matters in respect of the protocols, but the UNGA standard of simple majority will apply in other cases - including matters of substance with respect to the convention text itself.

alexcobham.bsky.social•17 days ago

That's a 'win' for OECD countries on the protocols, in terms of requiring the higher threshold for substantive changes; but a hold for the (most) G77 countries which had preferred to retain UNGA rules across the piece.

alexcobham.bsky.social•17 days ago

There were many expressions of 'disappointment' from OECD member countries. It's easy to dismiss these as sour grapes, since the OECD Inclusive Framework has never practiced consensus decision-making (despite the rhetoric) and members have not joined the protests of others.

alexcobham.bsky.social•17 days ago

But it is significant that (most) OECD members are agreeing to proceed on this basis - whatever one thinks of consistency of their positions, there is genuine compromise in accepting this outcome.

Just a couple of countries (Japan, Israel, maybe others I missed?) have disassociated themselves.

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