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The aim of this chapter is twofold. The first aim is to analyse the main features of the tax incentives in developing countries with a case study of two countries, Singapore and the Philippines. Singapore has been regarded in literature as one of the countries that has successfully attracted foreign direct investment; however, it is not yet clear whether this is the result of tax incentives or any other measure. The Philippines is at the time of writing in the process of introducing a comprehensive tax reform program (CTRP) that aims to redesign the tax incentives to become more competitive in the region and to achieve social and economic growth. These countries also belong to the same region (i.e. South East Asia), and therefore, the comparison of the incentives in these countries can also contribute to best practices in the region. Following this comparison, the second aim of this chapter is to evaluate the tax incentives granted in Singapore and the Philippines taking into account a new proposed evaluative framework for tax incentives in light of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The main question addressed in this book chapter is: Are the OECD transparency and BEPS Framework the right framework for a global and sustainable tax governance that benefits not only OECD and G20countries but also non-OECD and non-G20 countries, including developing countries? In order to answer this question, this chapter will provide an analysis of sustainable tax governance taking into account the sustainable development goals (SDGs) that the global tax initiatives aim to address and the mechanisms to achieve these goals.

The overall question addressed in this chapter is: Are the OECD transparency and BEPS Framework the right framework for a global and sustainable tax governance that benefits not only OECD and G20 countries but also non-OECD, non-G20 countries including developing countries? In order to answer this question, this chapter will provide an analysis of sustainable tax governance taking into account the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) that the global tax initiatives aim to address and the mechanisms to achieve these goals. This analysis will take place in two parts. Section 2 addresses the issue of domestic resource mobilization in light of SDG 17.1. The aim is to assess whether the G20 and OECD’s tax agenda can help developing countries to raise their DRM in order to close their public spending gap which is needed to achieve the SDGs. We examine whether the specific needs of developing countries are acknowledged when they implement this agenda. We also discuss tailored partnerships for dealing with DRM, including the new medium-term revenue strategies of the platform for collaboration on tax. Section 3 discusses the downsides of the Global Forum and BEPS Inclusive Framework as global partnerships for sustainable development (SDG 17.16). We discuss the diverging interests of OECD and developing countries and their difficulties in participating in the OECD meetings. Other goals addressed in this part are (i) Ensuring responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels (SDG 16.7) and (ii) Developing effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels (SDG 16.6). The main question of this section is to assess whether the OECD institutions are pressuring developing countries to adopt measures that may be good for global tax governance but not necessarily entirely in the interest of sustainable development of developing countries. Following this analysis section 3 of this chapter will evaluate the BEPS inclusive Framework and its contribution to sustainable tax governance and section 4 will offer conclusions and recommendations.

The OECD-G20 project on Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) is the largest reform of the international tax architecture in decades. The BEPS project aims to ensure that multinationals pay their taxes in the jurisdictions where they create value and where their economic activity takes place. When it is fully implemented, it will substantially alter the global governance architecture for taxation. This is a commendable goal, yet the BEPS project can be criticized for not sufficiently tailoring to the specific needs of developing countries. While it has made a laudable attempt to be more attentive towards developing countries with the creation of the BEPS inclusive framework, this concerns the implementation phase of BEPS. The agenda-setting and decision-making process only included the G20 and OECD countries. Against this background, it is unclear how and if the BEPS project considered the specific needs of developing countries, especially in light of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This paper will examine this issue by addressing the following questions: (i) Were the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the interests of developing countries to attract investment considered throughout the BEPS Process? (ii) What issues of international taxation, beyond BEPS, should be addressed to fulfill developing countries' domestic resource mobilization needs to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. We conclude with a set of recommendations to the international global tax governance architecture to be more inclusive and responsive to development countries’ needs.

The overall question addressed in this chapter is: Are the OECD transparency and BEPS Framework the right framework for a global and sustainable tax governance that benefits not only OECD and G20 countries but also non-OECD, non-G20 countries including developing countries? In order to answer this question, this chapter will provide an analysis of sustainable tax governance taking into account the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) that the global tax initiatives aim to address and the mechanisms to achieve these goals. This analysis will take place in two parts. Section 2 addresses the issue of domestic resource mobilization in light of SDG 17.1. The aim is to assess whether the G20 and OECD’s tax agenda can help developing countries to raise their DRM in order to close their public spending gap which is needed to achieve the SDGs. We examine whether the specific needs of developing countries are acknowledged when they implement this agenda. We also discuss tailored partnerships for dealing with DRM, including the new medium-term revenue strategies of the platform for collaboration on tax. Section 3 discusses the downsides of the Global Forum and BEPS Inclusive Framework as global partnerships for sustainable development (SDG 17.16). We discuss the diverging interests of OECD and developing countries and their difficulties in participating in the OECD meetings. Other goals addressed in this part are (i) Ensuring responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels (SDG 16.7) and (ii) Developing effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels (SDG 16.6). The main question of this section is to assess whether the OECD institutions are pressuring developing countries to adopt measures that may be good for global tax governance but not necessarily entirely in the interest of sustainable development of developing countries. Following this analysis section 3 of this chapter will evaluate the BEPS inclusive Framework and its contribution to sustainable tax governance and section 4 will offer conclusions and recommendations. &nbsp

The OECD-G20 project on Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) is the largest reform of the international tax architecture in decades. The BEPS project aims to ensure that multinationals pay their taxes in the jurisdictions where they create value and where their economic activity takes place. When it is fully implemented, it will substantially alter the global governance architecture for taxation. This is a commendable goal, yet the BEPS project can be criticized for not sufficiently tailoring to the specific needs of developing countries. While it has made a laudable attempt to be more attentive towards developingcountries with the creation of the BEPS inclusive framework, this concerns the implementation phase of BEPS. The agenda-setting and decision-making process only included the G20 and OECD countries. Against this background, it is unclear how and if the BEPS project considered the specific needs of developing countries, especially in light of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This paper will examine this issue by addressing the following questions: (i) Were the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the interests of developing countries to attract investment considered throughout the BEPS Process? (ii) What issues of international taxation, beyond BEPS, should be addressed to fulfill developing countries' domestic resource mobilization needs to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. We conclude with a set of recommendations to the international global tax governance architecture to be more inclusive and responsive to development countries’ needs..

The first aim of this chapter is to compare the tax incentives for developing countries with a case study of two countries: Singapore and the Philippines. Following this comparison, the second aim of this chapter is toevaluate the tax incentives granted in Singapore and the Philippines considering a new proposed evaluative framework for tax incentives in light of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).