Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I wish to assure the Deputy and the House that the Government will be represented by a Minister at the conference in Addis Ababa. Ireland has a proud record of attendance at these conferences and of influencing the outcomes of many international fora. The Deputy will be aware that the Minister for Finance, Deputy Noonan, has the lead on tax issues. My Department works closely with the Department of Finance on the role of taxation in development. Ireland takes the position that the most effective way to deal with global tax issues is through the OECD. It is, therefore, important that the United Nations works on taxation and that it takes into account the ongoing work at the OECD. It is necessary for us to adopt an approach that avoids conflict between the various organisations' activities. I would be concerned about having a number of approaches rather than one approach. It is in the best interests of our endeavours to ensure that we work and deal with global tax issues through the OECD.

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