Dominik Gross

Without the polluter-pays principle, international climate policy cannot be funded – without tax justice, it is not feasible. A mini-world tour with an unequal but perhaps soon symbiotic duo.

Next week ushers in another round of negotiations on a Framework Tax Convention at the UN headquarters in New York. Recently, the Swiss Cantons of Basel City and Zug, noted for their low corporate tax rates, again provided new material illustrating why this is an absolute necessity.

Negotiations are now in progress at the UN on the future drafting of the Framework Convention on International Cooperation in Tax Matters. Our tax policy expert was on hand, and was impressed by the negotiating strength of the African countries.

In November, a large majority of UN member states agreed to a UN Framework Convention on Taxation. In the run-up, our tax policy expert toured the city of New York and the institution.

In New York, a vast majority of UN Member States has voted in favour of a UN framework convention on tax. That is a major success for the Global South and, for the world community, an opportunity to create truly globally applicable rules for the first time in the history of international tax policy.

In 2016, the OECD promised to reform the international tax system such that it would also serve the interests of the Global South. Seven years on, the OECD has clearly fallen short of its own ambitions. It may now be time for the UN to step in.

During the pandemic, the debt brake was declared a national shrine. In financial policy terms, it was deemed a condition sine qua non for Switzerland's successful handling of the crisis. But is that really so? A ride through austerity hell.

What the Federal Council and corporate lobbies are portraying as innocuous support for the shipping industry could prove the biggest tax loophole for Swiss commodities groups and circumvent the new OECD minimum tax.

Does the brutal military attack on Ukraine signal the beginning of the end of globalization, as is being put about by many sources? An attempt to take stock.