Big multinational companies will from Monday be subject to a global minimum tax for the first time, as landmark cross-border tax reforms go live, seeking to raise up to $220bn in extra annual revenue.
Almost three years after 140 countries struck a deal to close glaring loopholes in the international system, some major economies will from January start to apply an effective tax rate of at least 15 per cent on corporate profits.
Under a series of interlocking rules, if profit by a multinational is taxed below this rate in one country, other countries will be able to charge a top-up levy. The OECD, which drove the reforms, estimates it will increase annual tax revenue by as much as 9 per cent, or $220bn worldwide.