THE
Revenue Heads
of more than 40 countries who met for the sixth meeting of the Forum on Tax
Administration in Turkey, have said better compliance,
particularly in the international arena, will make tax systems fairer, increase
revenues and help facilitate a return to robust economic growth in the aftermath
of the economic crisis.
They
said that major improvements in compliance can be obtained through:
+
Joint audits by two or more revenue bodies examining corporate and individual
taxpayers with a global footprint, to boost international tax compliance and
reduce costs for taxpayers and revenue bodies;
+ Sound corporate
governance practices that address tax risk assessment and management by
corporate boards;
+ Building on recent advances in international
co-operation and strengthening opportunities to share information which will
improve offshore compliance.
“The valuable work of the Forum on Tax
Administration continues to intensify. I want to commend my colleagues from the
many revenue authorities who continue to work to co-ordinate our efforts.
Together we can improve service to taxpayers and compliance with tax laws around
the world,” said Douglas H. Shulman, the Forum on Tax Administration Chair and
Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service, USA.
The commissioners
reaffirmed their commitment to improving service to taxpayers, in particular, to
balancing the need for speed and integrity in making tax repayments or credits
and the desire to continue constructive dialogs with key
stakeholders.
They also reconfirmed their commitment to support tax
administrations in developing and emerging economies, in particular in relation
to compliance. Participants also discussed reports on approaches to tax risks in
the banking sector.
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