19/11/2021 – Over 100 delegates from 18 Eurasian jurisdictions, as well as participants from business and academia, and international organisations, gathered virtually on 18-19 November 2021 for the 7th Regional Meeting on BEPS for Eurasian Countries. This meeting offered participants the opportunity to provide their views and input into the work on the development and monitoring of international tax standards under the OECD/G20 Inclusive Framework on BEPS.

 

The event was hosted by the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of North Macedonia, the Intra-European Organisation of Tax Administrations (IOTA) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The meeting was opened by Mr. Fatmir Besimi, Minister of Finance of North Macedonia and Mr. Harry Tonino, Deputy Head of Global Relations and Development in the OECD’s Centre for Tax Policy and Administration.  It was co-chaired by Ms. Natalija Kozhovska from the Ministry of Finance of North Macedonia and Ms. Tracey Brooks of the IOTA Secretariat.

 

Updates were provided on the Inclusive Framework’s membership and in particular, on the recent agreement reached by 137 countries and jurisdictions on a two-pillar plan to address the tax challenges of the digitalisation of the economy.

 

Participants had the opportunity to share their experiences, discuss the challenges to overcome and actions required for the effective implementation of the BEPS measures, including on the tax challenges arising from the digitalisation of the economy which participants flagged as a key area of work.

 

 

The meeting also  fostered discussions on the implementation of the substantial activities requirements in relation to preferential tax regimes (BEPS Action 5), Country-by-Country reports (BEPS Action 13), and on making dispute resolution more effective (BEPS Action 14).

 

 

Discussions were held on the ongoing evolution of technical assistance and capacity-building programmes to strengthen countries' tax systems and administrations. This included the joint OECD/UNDP initiative Tax Inspectors Without Borders (TIWB), the technical assistance programmes on BEPS implementation, including in relation to the measures under the Two-Pillar Solution, as well as the OECD’s e-learning resources on international tax topics.

 

 

The outcomes of the meeting can be found in the Co-Chairs Statement.

 

 

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