The Second Belt and Road Initiative Tax Administration Cooperation Forum (BRITACOF)
On September 7 - 9, 2021, under the chairmanship of the State Revenue Committee of the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Second Forum for Cooperation of Tax Administrations was held within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative.
The Forum was attended by more than 300 delegates from tax administrations of 60 countries and regions, 12 international and regional organizations, as well as representatives of the business community and academia.
The Forum began its work with a meeting of the Council, where the Chairman of the State Revenue Committee of the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Kazakhstan Ali Altynbaev was elected as the President of the second BRITACOF Forum and theChairman of the BRITACOM Council.
Director General of the Federal Tax Authority of the United Arab Emirates Khalid Ali Al-Bustani, General Director of the General Tax Administration of Uruguay Margarita Faral, Deputy Head of the RevenueService of the Ministry of Finance of Georgia Paata Kiladze, Chairman of the National Revenue Authorityof the Republic of Sierra Leone Tuma Adama Jabbiwere elected as the BRITACOM Council Vice-Chairs
On the opening ceremony of the plenary session, Chairman of the State Revenue Committee of the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Kazakhstan Ali Altynbayev, Commissioner of the State Tax Administration of the People's Republic of China Wang Jun, Director of the Center for Tax Policy and Administration of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Pascal Saint-Amand spoke to the participants with a welcoming speech.
Speaking to the Forum participants, Ali Altynbayev emphasized the importance of digitalization of tax administration, and called BRITACOM member states to unite and develop a joint concept to improve tax administration.
Mr. Wang Jun noted that for the convenience of providing government services, it is necessary to use «Big Data», «Cloud computing», «Internet of things» and other information technologies.
Mr. Pascal Saint-Amand said that at present it is necessary to effectively use data and establish an exchange of information between tax administrations in order to fully receive tax payments to the budget to ensure the development, well-being, and a better life for our citizens.
The moderator of the opening ceremony of the Second Forum for Cooperation of Tax Administrations within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiativewas the Head of the International Cooperation Department of the SRC MF RK Yermek Kozhabergenov.
The Belt and Road Initiative supports the spirit of coordination and cooperation, bringing many countries together. Cooperation includes digitalization of tax administration, more efficient use of information andits exchange. The goal is to pay reasonable taxes to ensure their development and well-being.
In accordance with the Wuzhen Action Plan, the leaders of the target groups provided reports on the following areas of tax administration:
Head of the Department of Digitalization and Coordination of the SRC MF RK Kymbat Akhmetova made a report of the Task Force on Digitalization of Tax Administration.
In her speech, she informed the Forum participants about the best practices in the digitalization of tax administration in such countries as Armenia, China, Great Britain, Hungary, Indonesia, Iran, Italy, Spain, etc. The report of the Task Force on Digitalization of Tax Administration also considers the digital transformation of Kazakhstan in tax administration, development prospects and proposals for improving cooperation between the tax administrations of the Belt and Road member states.
During the plenary session on digitalization of tax administration, Deputy Chairman of the SRC MF RKZhaidar Inkerbayev presented the introduction and development of the einvoice system in Kazakhstan, the prospects for further use of electronic invoices for effective taxation.
Zhaidar Inkerbaev noted that the introduction of e-invoices is directed to simplify the conditions for doing business. At the same time, the system implements electronic contracts and acts of work performed, which facilitate the work of the business by eliminating paper workflow, saving time, financial and human costs.
The Forum participants expressed particular interest in the experience of Kazakhstan in the implementation and development of the electronic invoice system.
During the panel sessions, the delegates exchanged views on actual issues of digitalization of tax administration and the use of the latest technologies as «Blockchain», «Big Data» that gave rise to transformations in the system of taxation and administration.
In addition, the Forum participants noted that the unification of efforts in the issue of digitalization of tax administration is directed to automating and optimizing tax services.
At the closing ceremony of the 2nd Forum, Yermek Kozhabergenov familiarized the delegates with the results of the three-day work of the Forum, announced the adopted «Nur-Sultan Action Plan 2022-2024» for the next two years, which meets the needs and priorities of cooperation within the framework of the Belt and Road initiative.
In his closing speech, the President of the second BRITACOF Forum - Chairman of the BRITACOM Board Ali Altynbayev noted that the key to the success of tax administration is digital platforms and technologies that form a new digital tax environment for business. At the same time, for further development, tax administrations need to properly prepare a smart environment, and this is the regulatory framework, smart administration, infrastructure, personnel, information security.
The intermediate results of the work carried out by the tax administrations will be summed up in 2022 during the Third Forum for Cooperation of Tax Administrations under the Belt and Road Initiative, which will be held in Algeria.