Oxford University appoints first Professor of Business Taxation
The Oxford University Centre for Business Taxation has appointed Professor Michael Devereux as its first Director, commencing 1 September 2006. He will hold the title of Professor of Business Taxation.
Sir Derek Morris, Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Centre commented: “The appointment of Professor Devereux is a major step in the development of the Oxford University Centre for Business Taxation as the world’s leading academic centre for business taxation research. Professor Devereux is one of the world’s foremost experts in business taxation and has the ideal track record to provide the leadership for this new, and long overdue, venture.”
Professor Devereux said: “Taxation can have a significant impact on the activities of business, and hence on the economic welfare of all citizens. But there is too little research which policy makers can draw on in designing appropriate forms of taxation. The Centre will take a lead in developing new research on the ways in which taxation affects business, and the consequences for economic welfare.”
Established in October 2005, the Oxford University Centre for Business Taxation will provide an independent research focus on taxation policies and policy options affecting business in the UK. The University of Oxford and The Hundred Group, representing the largest listed companies in the UK, have co-operated to set up the Centre with The Hundred Group contributing 5 million pounds over an initial five-year period to support its work.
In welcoming the establishment of the Centre, Sir Gus O’Donnell, Cabinet Secretary and former Permanent Secretary to the Treasury, said: “This is an important new initiative that will fill a significant gap in the area of research into the taxation of business activities. I anticipate that the Centre will have a very positive relationship with policy-makers in government and look forward to seeing the results of its work.”
Professor Devereux is currently Professor of Economics at Warwick University. At Warwick, he is a member of Senate, and until recently was Chair of the Economics Department. He holds Research Fellowships at the Centre for Economic Policy Research and the Institute for Fiscal Studies. He is Editor-in-Chief of International Tax and Public Finance and Associate Editor of the Economics Bulletin. He is the founding Research Director of the European Tax Policy Forum and is a member of the Board of Management of the International Institute of Public Finance. Professor Devereux has also served as an adviser and consultant on corporation tax to the European Commission, OECD, UK government, and the IMF, and has acted as a consultant to projects in the private sector.