Round Table Events

A series of roundtables focused on advancing the global agenda and conversation around Responsible Tax.

As a part of the Global Responsible Tax Project, KPMG International, in partnership with Jericho Chambers, have been hosting a series of roundtables focused on advancing the global agenda and conversation around Responsible Tax. With each roundtable inviting a wide range of global stakeholders, including elected politicians, global institutions, tax and other business leaders, activists, academics, media, and more, these discussions provide a range of voices with varying viewpoints the opportunity to listen, learn, share and develop their thinking on a tax system that can work for all.

Most recently, these roundtables have been held virtually to focus on the business and economic impacts of COVID-19, specifically as we enter into the new reality.

Round table event summaries

Governance & Tax Transparency

Tax and ESG – The view of investors

The ESG agenda is top of mind for many companies and investors and tax reporting is one area that can serve to bring ESG practice to life. However, there is a feeling that existing standards might either be too simplistic or overly challenging for some companies or not appropriate at their stage in a transparency journey. Therefore, the B Team, KMPG International and Jericho have started to focus on how to arrive at tax metrics to support ESG goals that could gain wider buy-in.

Chris Morgan

16 Jun 2022

6 min

Governance & Tax Transparency

Tax and ESG – The View of ESG experts

At the moment there is a dilemma that, on the one hand, some companies consider existing standards for country-by-country type disclosures (e.g., GRI 207) are too challenging, while on the other hand, disclosures required by accounting standards are too high level to give much meaningful information on a company’s tax profile. The B Team, KPMG International and Jericho Chambers have therefore started to focus attention on how to arrive at an approach, or possibly certain tax metrics, to support ESG goals which could gain wider buy-in and encourage a critical mass of companies to become more tax transparent.

Becky Holloway

08 Feb 2022

6 min

Governance & Tax Transparency Environmental Taxation

Tax, Transparency & ESG Reporting

What gets measured, gets managed.

Neal Lawson

19 Aug 2021

5 min

Image of the world magnified from an aerial viewpoint

Environmental Taxation

Towards an Effective Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism

As the world seeks to address climate change, there are various approaches which can be used.

19 Jul 2021

17 min

Environmental Taxation

The impact of carbon pricing and potential effects of a CBAM

Participants thought that if some countries or regions significantly increase CO2 reduction ambitions but others do not, there is likely to be a significant risk of carbon leakage. While a global approach to creating a minimum carbon price would be best approach, it could be very difficult to achieve.

Chris Morgan

22 Apr 2021

14 min

Looking up in the inside of a circular building

Corporation Tax

Making Carbon Border Adjustment proposals WTO-compliant

KPMG’s Global Responsible Tax Project recently held a roundtable in collaboration with KPMG IMPACT, to look at the technical difficulties of designing a Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM).

Chris Morgan

25 Mar 2021

1 min

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Considerations for a Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism

It should be possible to design a Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) that is World Trade Organization (WTO) compatible, but this depends upon the whole design of the regime and how it is implemented. Basing a CBAM on an emissions trading system was not a way favored by participants – although some thought it could be made WTO compatible....

Chris Morgan

25 Mar 2021

12 min

Image of coloured light circles slightly out of focus

Governance & Tax Transparency

New publication explores perspectives on tax policy for the new reality

Introducing Tax policy considerations in the wake of COVID-19 – a summary of Responsible Tax roundtable discussions on potential tax policy responses to the new reality.

David Linke

18 Dec 2020

2 min

Environmental Taxation

Going green: Driving investments with multi-lateral organizations

While the “carrot” of tax incentives may be useful to drive, or even kick start investment into new technology or regions, the recent roundtable discussion confirmed they are not the key issue in unlocking green investment. Similarly, while environmental taxes and reducing fossil fuel subsidies can help redirect investment into green projects, there are already many investors willing to fund...

Chris Morgan

26 Oct 2020

9 min

Image showing a roundabout in a residential area

Societal impacts of Tax

Taxing residential land and property to drive the COVID-19 recovery

Authors: Peter Beckett, Tax Partner, KPMG in the UK and James Bryan, Senior Tax Partner, KPMG in the UK

Peter Beckett

14 Oct 2020

15 min

Image of a circle clearing in a group of trees

Environmental Taxation

Going green: Economic recovery through the lens of an asset manager

Tax incentives can play a potentially important role in encouraging green investment, but must be transparent and clearly linked to environmental benefits. There is a need to broaden the base of investors which is likely to require mechanisms to reduce risk – for example through blended finance projects. Obtaining tax certainty, especially over the treatment of structures which require intermediate...

Chris Morgan

10 Sep 2020

7 min

Image of a circle of people standing on a beach

Societal impacts of Tax

Wealth taxes to fuel the COVID-19 recovery

While there were differing views about the respective merits of net wealth taxes versus gift or estate and inheritance taxes and the need for specific exemptions from such taxes, participants generally agreed that it would be more efficient for tax systems to seek to treat capital income on a more equal footing with earned income and then, generally, either tax...

Chris Morgan

27 Aug 2020

9 min

Image looking down on a center circle on a sports pitch

Societal impacts of Tax

Raising tax revenues in pursuit of economic recovery

A broad spectrum of stakeholders had differing views and placed different emphasis on how governments could raise revenue, where necessary, in the wake of the economic situation resulting from COVID-19. There was broad acceptance that progressivity in income taxes could be increased – possibly through a temporary solidarity surcharge. Tax rates on short term capital returns could be increased to...

Chris Morgan

19 Aug 2020

11 min

Aerial video of a circular structure surrounded by trees

Environmental Taxation

Going green: An institutional investors take on a green recovery

Institutional investors agreed that generally, certainty over the tax cost or duration of any incentives was more important in the investment decision than the actual tax cost. Nevertheless, reducing the tax cost on inward investment and providing transferable research and development credits would encourage investment into green projects – as would reducing current subsidies for fossil fuels. Overall tax risk...

Chris Morgan

13 Aug 2020

10 min

Image of looking through a circular tunnel towards an office building

Corporation Tax

Post-COVID stimulus measures in Africa and the ASPAC region

On 14 July KPMG International and Jericho Chambers sponsored the second in a series of roundtables on tax policy responses to COVID-19.

Grant Wardell-Johnson

10 Aug 2020

6 min

Image looking up at the sky through a circular building

Corporation Tax

EU stimulus measures in a post-COVID world

No pressure to reduce corporation tax rates generally; any cost based incentives should be targeted, temporary and timely; multilateral approaches and cooperation are needed to avoid adverse spill overs, tax competition and a growth in compliance and double taxation. There is support of the work of the OECD on Pillars 1 and 2 as well as for a European common...

Chris Morgan

10 Aug 2020

11 min