G-20 leaders stick to goal to boost growth by extra 2 percent: Final communique

The leaders of the world's largest economies remain committed to a goal of lifting their collective output by an additional 2 percent by 2018, they said in a statement on Nov. 16, even though growth remains uneven and weaker than expected globally, as reported by Reuters. 

In their final communique from a summit in Turkey, the leaders of the Group of 20 (G-20) also said they would "carefully calibrate" and "clearly communicate" policy decisions, a nod to the sensitivity of financial markets, which have seen dramatic moves this year on expectations of a U.S. interest rate hike.

The communique, largely unchanged from the draft document reported by Reuters on Nov. 15, also emphasized previous exchange rate commitments and pledges to resist protectionism.

"We remain committed to achieving our ambition to lift collective G-20 GDP by an additional 2 percent by 2018," the leaders said.

"Our top priority is timely and effective implementation of our growth strategies that include measures to support demand and structural reforms."

Closing multinationals' 'tax loopholes'

World leaders also approved a crackdown on tax avoidance by multinationals such Google, Apple and McDonalds whose rock-bottom tax bills have provoked widespread outrage, as reported by Agence France-Presse. 

The leaders put their final seal on a plan to close loopholes that let some big companies shift profits to low-tax nations so as to slash their bills, leaving ordinary tax payers fuming.

It comes a year after the "LuxLeaks" revelations that some of the world's biggest companies -- including Pepsi and Ikea -- had lowered their tax rates to as little as one percent in secret pacts with tax authorities in Luxembourg.     

U.S....