Taxation

Tax and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

  • 14 February 2018
ICC paper on tax and the UN SDGs

Tax and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

This ICC paper addresses how effective tax policy can facilitate economic growth, and in doing so, support the UN SDGs.

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In 2015 the United Nations  (UN) General Assembly adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), calling on all countries to improve the lives of people everywhere.

ICC is an indispensable partner of intergovernmental organisations and international stakeholders in leveraging business engagement for a more sustainable world and has been actively engaged in the SDG campaign. ICC has long underscored the importance of collaboration between the private sector and intergovernmental organizations as vital to ensuring a more sustainable and prosperous future for all.

The aim of the SDGs is to relieve poverty and improve economic growth, and the private sector can be viewed as a key driver to achieving this goal. Successful economies create an enabling environment and infrastructure, and well-implemented policies attract investment and support economic development.

Whilst there is no panacea, it is evident that greater alignment of investment and tax policies would be essential in promoting investment, job creation and economic growth. International commerce remains a powerful mechanism to help lift people out of poverty. Tax is intrinsically linked to development as taxation provides the revenue that states need to mobilize resources and reinforce a country’s infrastructure.

This position paper addresses  how effective tax policy can facilitate economic growth, and in doing so, support the UN SDGs.