*Administration of Barack Obama, 2013 *

**Joint Statement—Group of Eight Lough Erne Declaration **

*June 18, 2013 *

*Private enterprise drives growth, reduces poverty, and creates jobs and prosperity for people around the world. Governments have a special responsibility to make proper rules and promote good governance. Fair taxes, increased transparency and open trade are vital drivers of this. We will make a real difference by doing the following: *

- 1. Tax authorities across the world should automatically share information to fight the scourge of tax evasion.
- 2. Countries should change rules that let companies shift their profits across borders to avoid taxes, and multinationals should report to tax authorities what tax they pay where.
- 3. Companies should know who really owns them and tax collectors and law enforcers should be able to obtain this information easily.
- 4. Developing countries should have the information and capacity to collect the taxes owed them—and other countries have a duty to help them.
- 5. Extractive companies should report payments to all governments—and governments should publish income from such companies.
- 6. Minerals should be sourced legitimately, not plundered from conflict zones.
- 7. Land transactions should be transparent, respecting the property rights of local communities.

- 8. Governments should roll back protectionism and agree new trade deals that boost jobs and growth worldwide.
- 9. Governments should cut wasteful bureaucracy at borders and make it easier and quicker to move goods between developing countries.
- 10. Governments should publish information on laws, budgets, spending, national statistics, elections and government contracts in a way that is easy to read and re-use, so that citizens can hold them to account.

NOTE: An original was not available for verification of the content of this joint statement.

*Categories:* Joint Statements : Group of Eight (G–8) nations, leaders :: Lough Erne Declaration*.*

*Subjects:* Commerce, international : Free and fair trade; Commerce, international : Group of Eight (G–8) nations.

*DCPD Number:* DCPD201300435.