Egypt calls for stronger BRICS tax cooperation

Head of the Egyptian Tax Authority Rasha Abdel Aal stressed the importance of tax cooperation among BRICS countries and the opportunities it provides for exchanging expertise and benefiting from successful experiences and practices among member states.

At the conclusion of a three-day meeting of tax authorities and administrations of BRICS countries in India, Abdel Aal said Egypt looks forward to strengthening such cooperation in the coming period in support of efforts to develop and modernize tax administration.The meeting was held from Sept. 21 to 23, with Egypt represented by the Egyptian Tax Authority, headed by Abdel Aal, alongside heads and representatives of tax authorities and administrations from member states.

The opening session of the meeting of heads of tax authorities and administrations featured remarks by Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who welcomed the participating officials and stressed the importance of continued cooperation and exchange of expertise among BRICS countries, as well as joint work in tax-related fields to help develop tax administrations and enhance their ability to address various changes and challenges.

In her remarks, Abdel Aal affirmed the Tax Authority’s support for active participation in various initiatives and working groups under BRICS tax cooperation, as well as future work plans.

She stressed the authority’s readiness to continue cooperation and exchange knowledge and expertise with tax administrations of member states in a manner that serves common interests, supports capacity building and contributes to developing tax administration systems.

Abdel Aal said the authority’s participation in the meetings came in implementation of Finance Minister Ahmed Kouchouk’s directives to strengthen international tax cooperation, benefit from international best practices and experiences in developing Egypt’s tax system and enhance the capabilities of its personnel, while also sharing Egyptian expertise in development and modernization with tax administrations of member states.

The meetings concluded with agreement on a final statement containing a number of outcomes and future areas of work aimed at strengthening tax cooperation among BRICS countries.

These included continuing work within the framework of governance and cooperation among heads of tax authorities and administrations, maintaining specialized working groups and adopting their work plans for the next phase, in a manner that supports the exchange of expertise, capacity building and the development of tax administration in member states.

Commenting on the International Tax and Transfer Pricing Working Group, Abdel Aal said the Egyptian Tax Authority encourages and supports cooperation in this important area and is ready to share its expertise, particularly in transfer pricing.

She noted that Egypt has become a partner tax administration providing support to other tax administrations through the “Tax Inspectors Without Borders” initiative, affirming the Egyptian Tax Authority’s readiness to provide similar support to BRICS countries.

Capacity building and investment in human resources were among the key areas addressed in the final statement. The participants agreed to continue an annual in-person training and qualification program for tax officials from BRICS countries as part of the tax cooperation track.

The program will be hosted by India through the National Academy of Direct Taxes, providing opportunities to exchange technical and practical expertise and develop the skills of tax administration personnel in member states.

The final statement also provided for the launch of the BRICS Tax Mutual Learning Lab, bringing together work areas related to human resources practices and taxpayer-centric approaches on a joint platform for learning and exchange of expertise among tax administrations.

The initiative is intended to facilitate the exchange of successful experiences and practices, develop services and improve the taxpayer experience.

Abdel Aal highlighted the importance of the final statement’s provisions on the BRICS Tax Support Network, which aims to enhance cooperation among tax administrations and provide greater clarity to taxpayers and investors operating in BRICS countries regarding cross-border tax matters.

The network will also facilitate the exchange of relevant inquiries among member states in accordance with the procedures governing such matters in each country.

She added that the statement also included the BRICS Tax Knowledge Center as a platform for exchanging information and knowledge on business registration, tax systems, trade and related regulatory matters in member states.

The center is intended to support the exchange of knowledge and expertise and facilitate access to information, in accordance with the procedures governing such matters in each country.

The final statement also commended the progress made by the BRICS Women in Tax Network and its expanding activities and programs, as well as developments in human resources practices, taxpayer-centric approaches, value-added tax modernization, and data sources and their use.

Abdel Aal said the outcomes of the meetings reflected a shared commitment to strengthening tax cooperation among BRICS countries on institutional and sustainable foundations based on knowledge and expertise exchange, capacity building and the development of tools and mechanisms for joint work.

She affirmed the continued participation of the Egyptian Tax Authority in various cooperation tracks in support of efforts to develop tax administration and improve the quality of services provided to taxpayers.