The term ‘Base Erosion and Profit Shifting’ is sometimes seen in the news in the context of

1. A. mining operation by multinational companies in resource-rich but backward areas
2. B. curbing of the tax evasion by multinational companies
3. C. exploitation of genetic resources of a country by multinational companies
4. D. lack of consideration of environmental costs in the planning and implementation of developmental projects.

Answer: B

Explanation

The 2015 final reports of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)-led project on Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) — which refer to the erosion of a nation’s tax base due to the accounting tricks of Multinational Enterprises (MNEs) and the legal but abusive shifting out of profits to low-tax jurisdictions respectively — lays out 15 action points to curb abusive tax avoidance by MNEs. As a participant of this project, India is expected to implement at least some of these measures.