International Monetary Fund

Senior Tax Officials in Asia Discussed Emerging Tax Issues

The Fourth IMF-Japan High-Level Tax Conference for Asian Countries

Tokyo, Japan

April 2–4, 2013

The Fourth IMF-Japan High-Level Tax Conference for Asian countries, organized jointly by FAD and Japan’s Ministry of Finance in Tokyo, with extensive support from the Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, was held from April 2—4, 2013. It was attended by 38 officials, heads, or senior officials of tax policy departments and tax administration agencies from 18 countries in Asia.

Mr. Keen, Deputy Director of FAD, and Mr. Yamasaki, Director General of the International Bureau, Ministry of Finance (MOF), Japan, delivered opening remarks. The conference covered a wide range of emerging tax issues in the region, including small business taxation, property tax reform, performance indicators for tax administration and RA-FIT, general anti-avoidance rules (GAARs), enforcement trends and compliance challenges, and ongoing discussions at international fora. FAD staff, senior officials of the MOF, Japan, leading academics from Japan, the United Kingdom, and Canada, an OECD representative, and almost all participants made presentations. The conference, the fourth in a series that began in 2009, provided participants with an excellent opportunity to effectively share their experience and freshen their knowledge on the latest and most important issues in tax policy and tax administration areas. It also offered participants a rare opportunity to expand or deepen personal relationships with peer senior officials in the region, promoting further collaboration among the tax authorities. The conference was financed by the Japan Administered Account for Selected IMF Activities (JSA).


Participants at the Fourth IMF-Japan High-Level Tax Conference for Asian Countries Mr. Yamasaki at the Opening Session Mr. Keen in the Session on Taxation of Micro and Small Businesses

Disclaimer

The website contains papers and web links to papers that were presented at the Fourth IMF-Japan High-Level Tax Conference for Asian Countries. The views expressed in these papers are those of the authors only, and the presence of them, or of links to them, on the IMF website does not imply that the IMF, its Executive Board, or its management endorses or shares the views expressed in the papers.

Day 1: Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Time Remarks
9:00 AM–9:30 AM Registration
Opening Ceremony
9:30 AM–9:40 AM Opening Address

Mr. Keen, Deputy Director, Fiscal Affairs Department (FAD), IMF

9:40 AM–9:50 AM Welcome Address

Mr. Yamasaki, Director-General, International Bureau, Ministry of Finance (MOF), Japan

9:50 AM–10:20 AM Photo Session
Recent Developments
10:20 AM–11:00 AM Mr. Unami, Director, Tax Bureau, MOF, Japan
Session on Taxation of Micro and Small Businesses — How To Deal With Informal Economy
11:00 AM–12:30 PM [Presentation]
12:30 PM–2:00 PM Lunch Break
2:00 PM–3:00 PM [Panel Discussion]

Moderator: Mr. Keen, FAD, IMF

Panelist: Presenters

Session on Performance Indicators For Tax Administration and RA-FIT
3:00 PM–4:00 PM [Presentation]
4:00 PM–4:30 PM Coffee Break
4:30 PM–5:30 PM [Panel Discussion]

Moderator: Mr. Masters, FAD, IMF

Panelist: Presenters

Day 2: Wednesday, April 3
Time Remarks
Session on Property Tax Reform
9:00 AM–10:30 AM [Presentation]
10:30 AM–11:00 AM Coffee Break
11:00 AM–12:30 PM [Panel Discussion]

Moderator: Mr. Keen, FAD, IMF

Panelist: Presenters

12:30 PM–2:00 PM Lunch Break
Session on General Anti-Avoidance Rules
2:00 AM–3:00 PM [Presentation]
3:30 PM–4:00PM Coffee Break
4:00 PM–5:00 PM [Panel Discussion]

Moderator: Mr. Nakayama, FAD, IMF

Panelist: Presenters

Day 3: Thursday, April 4
Time Remarks
Session on Enforcement Trends and Compliance Challenges
9:00 AM–10:30 AM [Presentation]
[Panel Discussion]

Moderator: Tan Sri Dr. Mohd. Shukor Mahfar, CEO of Inland Revenue Board of Malaysia

Panelist: Professor Masui, University of Tokyo

10:30 AM–11:00 AM Coffee Break
11:00 AM–12:30 PM [Presentation]
[Panel Discussion]

Moderator: Mr. Sharma, Director General, Inland Revenue Department, Nepal

Panelist: Professor Masui, University of Tokyo

12:30 PM–2:00 PM Lunch Break
2:00 PM–3:00 PM [Presentation]

Moderator: Mr. Masters, FAD, IMF

Session on Ongoing Discussions at International Fora — Global Forum on Transparency and EOI for Tax Purposes
3:00 PM–4:00 PM [Presentation]

Mr. Donal Godfrey, Global Forum Secretariat, OECD

Closing Session
4:00 PM–4:15 PM Closing Remarks

Mr. Keen, IMF