Inaugural Meeting: 10Th July 2017 (3.00 Pm), Thatcher Room

MINUTES

Inaugural Meeting: 10th July 2017 (3.00 pm), Thatcher Room

Minutes taken by:Rita Cunha, Policy Researcher on Responsible Tax (Policy Institute at King’s) and Matthew Reilly (Office of Rt Hon Dame Margaret Hodge MP)

PRESENT

Rt Hon Dame Margaret Hodge, MP for Barking (Labour)
Rt Hon Caroline Flint, MP for Don Valley (Labour)
Catherine McKinnell, MP for Newcastle upon Tyne North(Labour)
Nigel Mills, MP for Amber Valley(Conservative)
Alison Thewliss, MP for Glasgow Central (SNP)
Anneliese Dodds, MP for Oxford East (Labour)
Marie Rimmer, MP for St Helens South and Whiston (Labour)
Ann Coffey, MP for Stockport (Labour)
Lord Stewart Wood, House of Lords (Labour)
Baroness Molly Meacher, House of Lords (Crossbencher)
Lord Richard Layard, House of Lords (Labour)
Lord Alfred Dubs, House of Lords (Labour)
Lord Norman Warner, House of Lords (Crossbencher)

APOLOGIES

Seema Malhotra, MP for Feltham and Heston(Labour)
Rt Hon Andrew Mitchell, MP for Sutton Coldfield(Conservative)
Richard Bacon, MP for South Norfolk (Conservative)
Lord Timothy Kirkhope, House of Lords (Conservative)
Baroness Vivien Stern,House of Lords (Crossbencher)
Lord Clive Hollick, House of Lords(Crossbencher)
Baroness Susan Kramer, House of Lords (Lib Dem)

OBSERVING

Rita Cunha, Policy Researcher on Responsible Tax (Policy Institute at King’s)
Jessica Mullins, Office of Rt Hon Dame Margaret Hodge MP
Matthew Reilly, Office of Rt Hon Dame Margaret Hodge MP
Professor Jennifer Rubin, Director of the Policy Institute at King’s
Drew Cullen, CIPFA
Saskia Black, CIPFA
Simon Kirkland, Christian Aid
Will Snell, Director, Tax Justice Network UK
George Turner, Tax Justice Network
Stephen Daly, Dickson Poon School of Law
Dr.Martin Hearson, LSE
Ian Campbell, HMRC
Andrew Goodall, Freelance Tax Writer
SurinderKaul, Taxation Consultant and C.A
Claire Spoors, Oxfam
Jon Date, Action Aid
Jeremy Stuber, Newton
Freddie Woolfe, Newton
George Crozier, Newton
Hannah Barraclough, Grant Thornton
Adam Jackson, Grant Thornton
Guy Surtees, Taurus Asset Finance
Martin Taylor, Taurus Asset Finance
Phil Hall, Association of Accounting Technicians
George Edmonson, Hanover Communications
Janet Veitch, UK Women's Budget Group

1. INTRODUCTIONS

1.1. Rt Hon Dame Margaret Hodge MP welcomed attendees to the meeting.

1.2. The primary purpose of this inaugural meeting is to formalise the group and elect its officers after the 2017 general election.

2. ELECTION OF OFFICERS

2.1. Dame Margaret Hodge MPwas re-elected as Chair of the APPG.

2.2. The following officers were elected as officers

Rt Hon Caroline Flint MP (Labour)
Marie Rimmer MP (Labour)
Catherine McKinnell MP (Labour)
Nigel Mills MP (Conservative)
Alison ThewlissMP (Scottish National Party)
Baroness Susan Kramer (Liberal Democrat)
Seema Malhotra MP (Labour)
Rt Hon Andrew Mitchell MP (Conservative)
Richard Bacon MP (Conservative)
Lord Stewart Wood (Labour)
Lord Timothy Kirkhope (Conservative)
Baroness Vivien Stern (Crossbencher)
Lord Clive Hollick (Crossbencher)

It was noted that Vince Cable had expressed interest in being an officer of the group.

3. FINANCIAL SUPPORT AND SECRETARIAT

3.1. Rt Hon Dame Margaret Hodge MPthanked CIPFA for continuing to fund and support the APPG, and announced a three-year contribution from by Joffe Charitable Foundation.

3.2. The contributions from CIPFA and Joffe will be paying for a part-time policy researcher, Rita Cunha, who is based at King’s College London. The Chair also noted that King’s will be acting as Secretariat for the APPG, and thanked Professor Jennifer Rubin, present at the meeting, for making this new collaboration possible.

4. APPG WEBSITE

4.1. The Chairfurther noted that the APPG’s website is in the process of being transferred from COVI, and that CIPFA will be helping to make the website quicker and more accessible to APPG’s stakeholders.

5. WORK OF THE APPG

5.1. The Chairannounced that the APPG will be organising a conference on the impact of Brexit on the UK tax system and is looking for keynote speakers. Rita Cunha commented that the purpose of the event was to discuss the tax policy choices facing the Government as the UK leaves the European Union and the Internal Market.Margaret Hodge asked the group for any suggestions on speakers. Caroline Flint MP commented that it would be interesting to distinguish which aspects of the UK tax system are going to stay the same and which are going to change. She questioned whether VAT on energy could be reduced after Brexit?

5.2. Molly Meacher suggested that council tax should be looked at, as it is very regressive and unfair. Alison Thewliss MP suggested that we invited a former Scottish Minister to talk to the group as the Scottish Parliament have undertaken a report on this topic.

5.3. The group will also be looking at Uber and the gig economy. The Chair noted that a half-day seminar on this issue was being planned for September. Anneliese Dodds MP suggested that the APPG should focus on the tax elements of the gig economy. It was noted that the GMB, the Mayor of London and Jolyon Maugham QC could be potential speakers.

5.4. The Chair askedRt Hon Caroline Flint MP ifthe Government had put a date on Caroline’s amendment to introduce public country-by-country reporting as Nigel Mills MP had suggested that the group find an opportunity to put a date into legislation

5.5. The Chair noted that the group’s amendment to the Criminal Finances Bill to introduce public registers of beneficial ownership in Overseas Territories had narrowly failed but was now seeking an opportunity to do this again. At this point, Mr. Simon Kirkland (Christian Aid) commented that this time there could be a Parliamentary majority supporting the initiative and updated the room on the progress of these private registers in the Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies.

5.6. The Chair noted that Rita Cunha had already started doing work regardingpublic registers of beneficial ownership for property and that the Group would follow-up on Governmental activity in this respect.

5.7. In relation to the APPG’s work on ‘trust on the HMRC’, the Chair noted that this still has to be completed and stated that Jon Thompson (HMRC Chief Executive) had agreed to address the group in a private session.

5.8. The chair informed that another area of interest was “tax as a competitive tool”.

5.9. Anneliese Dodds MP suggested that the APPG follows the developments taking place in relation to the OECD BEPS Project. All agreed.

Meeting ended at 3.30 pm.