Tax havens: Nigeria missing as global leaders finalise minimum corporate tax of 15%

Nigeria is missing as more than 130 countries finalise a global deal on the taxation of multinationals — with an agreement on a minimum of 15 percent corporation tax.

The deal was disclosed by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris on Friday.

According to OECD, Estonia, Hungary and Ireland are the last set of countries to join the agreement, which means the deal is now supported by all OECD and G20 countries. Nigeria, Kenya, Pakistan and Sri Lanka are yet to join the agreement.

The agreement to enact a 15 percent minimum corporate tax rate had been proposed by the United States, which has long looked for ways to minimise incentives for companies to shift profits abroad to lower their tax bills. 

As the Biden administration prepares to raise corporate tax rates in the United States, getting a global minimum tax in place has become critical to prevent companies from simply shifting their headquarters overseas.

Mathias Cormann, the organisation’s secretary-general, said the agreement will make international tax arrangements fairer and work better. 

“Today’s agreement will make our international tax arrangements fairer and work better. This is a major victory for effective and balanced multilateralism. It is a far-reaching agreement that will ensure our international tax system is fit for its purpose in a digitalised and globalised world economy. We must now work swiftly and diligently to ensure the effective implementation of this major reform,” he said.  

The organisation said this landmark deal, agreed by 136 countries and jurisdictions, represents more than 90 percent of global GDP, and that it will reallocate more than $125 billion of profits from around 100 of the world’s largest and most profitable multinational enterprises (MNEs) to countries worldwide, ensuring that these firms pay a fair share of tax wherever they operate and generate profits.

The deal goes beyond setting a global minimum tax — it also creates new rules for the digital era. Under the agreement, technology giants like Amazon, Facebook and other big global businesses will be required to pay taxes in countries where their goods or services are sold, even if they have no physical presence there.

Pressure is mounting on governments around the world to take tougher action on tax, following revelations in the Pandora Papers, exposing a vast number of hidden offshore wealth.