The chief broker of the international tax deal stepped down, saying the new architecture he negotiated is "here to last" even as implementation is delayed and questions remain over whether governments will follow through on pledges for reform. Director of the OECD's Center for Tax Policy and Administration Pascal Saint-Amans said, in the past "the governments did not ask for any change and there was no political push to move into the direction of addressing profit shifting."
Pascal Saint-Amans will leave his position as director of the Centre for Tax Policy and Administration at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development at the end of October.
Over a decade in the role and 15 years at the OECD, he was front-and-center of negotiations for a global minimum tax for corporations and new rules for levying multinational tech firms like Alphabet Inc.'s Google and Amazon.com Inc.
"I have been incredibly lucky to be in the most exciting place to witness & facilitate the fundamental, once-in-a-century changes to the international tax system," Saint-Amans said in a post on Twitter. "What we have built together is here to last."
It is with mixed emotions that I share some personal news: after 15 years at #OECD, I have decided to step down as Director of @OECDtax. This is the outcome of a long reflection and I feel privileged to have served this unique Organisation & its members for so many years.
— Pascal Saint-Amans (@PSaintAmans) September 5, 2022
Elements of the international deal have run into a thicket of complex technical issues, leading the OECD to delay implementation of rules on where companies are taxed until 2024. While the part of the overhaul creating a minimum corporate tax has proved simpler, European Union countries are still struggling to agree on how to apply it.
Saint-Amans' deputy Grace Perez-Navarro, who is also set to leave the OECD, will take on his role until March 2023. They aren't the only high-profile exits: Chief Economist Laurence Boone quit in July to join the French government.
"While sad to see Pascal leave the organization, I respect his decision that this is the time for him to pursue other career opportunities," OECD Secretary General Mathias Cormann said. "I am very grateful to Pascal for the enormous, historically significant contribution he has made to international tax policy reform."
