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In-Depth Study of Tax and Trust

Mar 28, 2017 | New York, New York | English

The results of new study, G20 Public Trust in Tax, which surveyed citizens across the G20 on issues of trust and international taxation, was released this week at a roundtable discussion that included the UK’s top tax administrator, HMRC Permanent Secretary Edward Troup, tax leaders from global firms, members of the accountancy profession, and the press.

The study, prepared by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand, and IFAC, draws on the views of more than 7,600 people across G20 countries.

Some of the key findings include:

  • people want governments to put tax cooperation ahead of tax competition—73% of people in G20 countries think it is important or very important for governments to cooperate with each other on tax policy to create a more coherent international tax system;
  • 57% of people in G20 countries trust or highly trust professional tax accountants as a source of information about the tax system; and
  • in contrast, people in G20 countries have become deeply distrustful of politicians when it comes to information about the tax system, with 67% either distrusting or highly distrusting politicians.