Will Morris

December 11 2013

Global tax policy adviser, GE

This is the second year that Will Morris has appeared in the Top 50. As well as being the global tax policy adviser for GE he is also the chairman of tax and fiscal policy committee of the OECD’s business advisory arm, BIAC. In addition to these roles, Morris chairs the CBI (Confederation of British Industry) tax committee, the Am Cham EU Tax Task Force and the European Tax Policy Forum.

Needless to say, Morris’s influence in tax policy, from an industry perspective, is extensive.

He represented a strong business perspective in the recent public transfer pricing meetings at the OECD in Paris, his overriding message being that taxation should raise revenue in ways that are not harmful to growth and investment.

“In the end, we all share a common interest - all of the stakeholders here - and that is in more sustainable cross-border trade and investment which creates more wealth, more growth and more jobs. We may disagree on aspects of taxation; we may even disagree on the appropriate level of taxation. But I think we all agree that the tax system should raise revenue in the ways that are least harmful to growth.”

Morris is also involved in the BEPS debate and has issued a number of announcements, alongside Pascal Saint-Amans.

“The OECD is committed to reaching out to as wide a group of countries as possible, not just the "rich world club". There must be a solution which has widespread international backing.

“BIAC completely supports this effort. Business does believe that tax is a question of law; not morality. But it also recognises that the public must have confidence that business' interpretation of the tax law is reasonable and proportionate. Business agrees that in a globalised world it should be transparent with governments, and that governments should be transparent with each other through exchange of information. And, business agrees that it is legitimate - even necessary - to ask whether the substance of transactions and their taxation have diverged in certain cases.

“So, all aspects of the current system should be examined and if rules need changing - as some may well do - then the rules should be changed.”