Tax chiefs meet in Sydney to address multinational tax issues

Tax Commissioners and delegates from over 40 countries arrive in Sydney this week to mark the 15th Forum on Tax Administration (FTA) Plenary meeting to address multinational issues in tax administration.

The FTA brings together Commissioners from around the world (including all OECD and G20 countries) to identify and discuss relevant global trends, improve the fairness and effectiveness of tax administration, and improve compliance.

This year's meeting is the first time since 2019 that the forum has come together in person and will be hosted by Australian Commissioner of Taxation and FTA Vice-Chair, Chris Jordan AO. The Commissioner will be joined by Bob Hamilton, Tax Commissioner of Canada and FTA Chair, and Jérôme Fournel Tax Commissioner of France and FTA Vice-Chair.

ATO Commissioner Chris Jordan says, "This years' theme is 'reconnect' and coming together like this after so long will help to re-establish our united vision for the future. It's a great opportunity for us to exchange knowledge and discuss important trends, challenges, risks and opportunities in the tax landscape."

This week the FTA Plenary will focus on strategies and actions across three areas, including:

1. Implementation of the OECDs Two-Pillar Solution to address the taxation issues arising from digitisation of the economy.
2. The digital transformation of tax administrations to achieve greater efficiencies.
3. Supporting tax capacity building in developing nations.

Over the past few years, the value of the FTA has never been more apparent than during COVID-19. By sharing experiences in real-time, FTA members helped each other consider and test their domestic responses and address common problems in a way that was seldom seen before.

As the global economy continues to expand across borders, practical and timely sharing of knowledge and data between tax administrations has never been more important.

"I'm incredibly proud of the work we've done as a group and particularly Australia's involvement as we mark 20 years of the FTA in 2022. A contemporary tax administration cannot exist in isolation from other jurisdictions, which is why we value international collaboration so highly." ATO Commissioner, Chris Jordan.

The FTA supports the digital transformation in taxation administration, recognising digitisation is important for not only improving tax compliance, but also to provide contemporary services and meet the changing expectations of citizens and businesses.

With more countries joining the FTA each year, capacity building is a core focus of this year's Plenary. Sessions allow administrators to exchange ideas to improve services in the different jurisdictions and support collaboration between tax administrators. As part of building capacity within our region, the ATO will meet with a number of key regional partners including Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Japan and New Zealand.

The FTA Plenary meeting in Sydney will run until Friday 30 September 2022.

Media Images

• Image 1: From left to right: Chris Jordan, Commissioner of the Australian Taxation Office and FTA Vice-Chair, Jérôme Fournel, Tax Commissioner of France and FTA Vice-Chair, Edward Kieswetter, Commissioner of the South African Revenue Service, Nina Schanke Funnemark, Director General of the Norwegian Tax Administration, and Bob Hamilton, Commissioner of the Canada Revenue Agency and FTA Chair
• Image 2: From left to right: Chris Jordan, Commissioner of the Australian Taxation Office and FTA Vice-Chair, Edward Kieswetter, Commissioner of the South African Revenue Service, Bob Hamilton, Commissioner of the Canada Revenue Agency and FTA Chair, Nina Schanke Funnemark, Director General of the Norwegian Tax Administration, and Jérôme Fournel, Tax Commissioner of France and FTA Vice-Chair.
• Image 3: From left to right: Bob Hamilton, Commissioner of the Canada Revenue Agency and FTA Chair, Nina Schanke Funnemark, Director General of the Norwegian Tax Administration, and Jérôme Fournel, Tax Commissioner of France and FTA Vice-Chair.
• Image 4: From left to right: Chris Jordan, Commissioner of the Australian Taxation Office and FTA Vice-Chair, Edward Kieswetter, Commissioner of the South African Revenue Service, Bob Hamilton, Commissioner of the Canada Revenue Agency and FTA Chair, Nina Schanke Funnemark, Director General of the Norwegian Tax Administration, and Jérôme Fournel, Tax Commissioner of France and FTA Vice-Chair..
• Image 5: From left to right: Edward Kieswetter, Commissioner of the South African Revenue Service and Bob Hamilton, Commissioner of the Canada Revenue Agency and FTA Chair

Background

Countries participating

Argentina (virtual)

Australia

Austria

Belgium

Brazil

Canada

Chile

China (virtual)

Denmark

Estonia

Fiji

Finland

France

Georgia

Germany

Greece

Hong Kong, China (Virtual)

Hungary

India

Indonesia

Ireland

Israel

Italy

Japan

Kenya

Korea

Latvia (Virtual)

Lithuania

Luxembourg

Malaysia

Netherlands

New Zealand

Norway

Papua New Guinea

Poland (virtual)

Portugal

Saudi Arabia

Singapore

Slovak Republic

Slovenia (virtual)

South Africa

Spain (virtual)

Sweden

Türkiye

United Kingdom

United States

International Organisations

• Asian Development Bank (ADB)
• African Tax Administration Forum (ATAF)
• International Monetary Fund (IMF)
• Intra-European Organisation of Tax Administrations (IOTA)
• International Tax Compact (ITC)