国際課税ルールを議論　Ｇ７財務相がテレビ会議

　先進７カ国（Ｇ７）財務相は日本時間の９日夜、テレビ会議を開いた。日本からは麻生太郎財務相が参加し、多国籍企業の税逃れを防ぐ新たな国際課税ルールについて議論。１０月の最終決着に向けて各国が連携していく方針を確認したとみられる。
　新たなルールは、法人税率の引き下げ競争を回避する「１５％以上」の最低税率設定と、巨大ＩＴ企業などの税逃れを防ぐデジタル課税の導入の２本柱。２０カ国・地域（Ｇ２０）財務相・中央銀行総裁会議が７月、大枠で合意した。
　米グーグルなど「ＧＡＦＡ」と呼ばれる巨大ＩＴ企業を抱える米国は、欧州の一部が独自に先行導入しているデジタル課税の廃止を求めている。今回のＧ７財務相会議では各国が結束し、１０月に開かれる次回のＧ２０財務相・中銀総裁会議での最終合意に向け、弾みをつけた形だ。
　麻生氏は会議終了後、財務省内で記者団に対し、「おおむね今の方向で行ける確率は７月より上がった」と述べ、議論は前進しているとの認識を示した。（2021/09/09-22:50）

Finance ministers from the Group of Seven major industrial countries held a videoconference Thursday to discuss global corporate tax rules aimed at preventing tax avoidance by multinational companies.
    The participants, including Japanese Finance Minister Taro Aso, are believed to have confirmed that the countries will continue working closely to reach a final agreement on the rules at a meeting of finance ministers and central bank chiefs of the Group of 20 advanced and emerging economies in October, sources familiar with the situation said.
   The envisaged new rules will call for setting the minimum corporate tax rate at 15 pct or higher to avoid competition for tax rate cuts and introducing digital taxation designed to block tax avoidance by information technology giants. G-20 finance ministers and central bank leaders broadly agreed on the rules at their meeting in July.
   The United States, which has Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon.com, the four IT giants known collectively as GAFA, has been calling for the abolition of a digital tax introduced in part of Europe.
   At Thursday's virtual meeting, the G-7 finance ministers showed their unity toward reaching a final accord at the upcoming G-20 meeting, pundits said. "We now have a better chance to move for the current direction," Aso told reporters after the videoconference, suggesting that progress was made in the discussions on the taxation rules.