25/02/2025 – From 17 to 20 February 2025, India hosted a four-day workshop on tackling cross-border tax evasion through enhanced international tax cooperation in Nagpur. This event, the fourth capacity building training programme hosted in India under the Asia Initiative, was attended by 31 tax officials from India, Malaysia, the Maldives, and Thailand. It was co-organised by the Department of Revenue of the Ministry of Finance of India, the National Academy of Direct Taxes in Nagpur and the Secretariat of the Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes (Global Forum). The workshop also counted on the valuable participation of experts from the Inland Revenue Authority of New Zealand.
Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes
India hosts Asia Initiative workshop on tackling cross-border tax evasion
The workshop aimed to equip Asia Initiative members with skills and knowledge to ensure the use of exchange of information to fight tax evasion and boost revenue collection. Particularly, the training focused on the use of exchange of information on request (EOIR), the use of the data obtained through automatic exchange of financial account information under the Common Reporting Standard (CRS) and the use of cross-border assistance in the recovery of tax claims (CBAR).
Through a series of practical examples, experience sharing, and case studies, participants sharpened their knowledge on the nuances and complexities of EOIR, CRS and CBAR. They also discussed the common challenges faced by Asian countries in the process of drafting information requests, using CRS data to enhance tax compliance and benefiting from CBAR to increase tax collection.
The Asia Initiative is focused on setting tailored solutions to ensure the implementation and use of tax transparency standards across the region. It was launched in November 2021 to develop a regional dynamic for improved collaboration and as a platform to co-ordinate capacity building on tax transparency among partners. The Asia Initiative is currently co-chaired by the Maldives and Armenia and counts 17 members, which endorsed the objectives set out in the Bali Declaration, a call to enhance tax co-operation to sustain domestic resource mobilisation in Asia.
The Global Forum is the leading multilateral body mandated to ensure that jurisdictions around the world adhere to and effectively implement both the transparency and exchange of information on request standard and the standards on automatic exchange of information. These objectives are achieved through a robust monitoring and peer review process. The Global Forum also runs an extensive capacity-building programme to support its members in implementing the standards and help tax authorities make the best use of cross-border information sharing channels.
The Global Forum capacity-building programme is supported by the following development partners:
For more information, please contact gftaxcooperation@oecd.org.
