Training Program

Lawyers from ministries of finance or other government agencies concerned with the legal aspects of fiscal policy making.

Participants are expected to be qualified lawyers with a background advising ministries of finance or other government agencies on legal aspects of fiscal policy or on drafting fiscal legislation. Attendance is by invitation only. Prerequisites are specified in the nomination request letters.

This course, presented by the IMF Legal Department, focuses on legal design aspects of current issues related to fiscal and tax laws. It covers a wide range of topics currently on fiscal policy agendas around the world in this era of fiscal tightening. Examples of issues covered are:

• current taxation issues, such as cross-border issues and base erosion, and the design of instruments in the areas of income tax and general consumption taxes (e.g., VAT) to address them;
• budget law issues, such as sound legal principles for organic budget laws, designing fiscal rules, fiscal coordination in a federal context, and the role of fiscal councils;
• aspects of public debt management (PDM) and securities, including legal and institutional aspects of PDM and the issuance of public debt securities; and
• designing legal frameworks for sovereign wealth funds and state-owned enterprises.