handbook-tb

Diane Ringdetail the expectations regarding the delivery mechanism for informationand do not call for automatic exchange.5.6 Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange ofInformation for Tax Purposes5.6.1 OverviewIn the late 1990s, many countries became concerned with the effectsof tax havens and preferential tax regimes which impeded effective taxenforcement by virtue of their lack of transparency and their lack ofinformation exchange. As a response, the predecessor of the currentGlobal Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for TaxPurposes was formed in 2000 under the auspices of the OECD. TheGlobal Forum has 126 members (as at May 2015) 68 including developedand developing countries, and OECD and non-OECD members.The Global Forum has pursued two projects relevant to transparencyand disclosure: (a) the development of the Model Tax InformationExchange Agreement (TIEA) (see section 5.3 above); and (b) the developmentand implementation of the peer review process (the essentialityof the legal and regulatory framework of the assessing countries totransparency and exchange of information). The peer review process,which began in 2009, is undertaken in two phases (Phase 1 and Phase2), although they can be combined. The review evaluates a country byreference to its capacity for and actual performance in providing informationupon request. Thus, the peer review process explores the degreeto which a country is compliant with commitments under treaty provisionscomparable to Article 26 of the United Nations and OECD ModelConventions, or to the Model TIEA. Additionally, following the signingof the Multilateral CAA for automatic exchange, the Global Forumannounced its intent to establish a peer review process to ensure compliancewith the exchange commitment (see section 4.2.4 above).The current peer review process examines the domestic lawsand practices of a country along a number of dimensions to assesswhether: (a) the ownership and identity of entities and arrangements68See http://www.oecd.org/tax/transparency/.562