On 7-9 November 2018, the 4th Regional Meeting of the Inclusive Framework on BEPS for Eastern Europe and Central Asia Countries took place in Yerevan, hosted by the State Revenue Committee of the Republic of Armenia in co-operation with IOTA and the OECD. More than 60 senior tax officials from 16 countries, together with representatives from international and regional organisations, business, civil society and academia discussed the implementation of the BEPS measures and shared their experiences and challenges in the implementation process, as well as the opportunities offered by a consistent implementation.
Mr Davit Ananyan, Chairman of the State Revenue Committee of Armenia opened the meeting highlighting the importance of the BEPS action plan for the enhancement of tax transparency, the fight against tax evasion and fraud, and to ensure a level playing field around the world. In his view, the main challenges faced by tax administrations are the timely implementation of the BEPS action plan and the necessary amendments of the domestic and international legal framework. He underlined the commitment of Armenia to implement the BEPS measures, in particular the four minimum standards (countering harmful tax practices, preventing treaty abuse, transfer pricing documentation and country-by-country reporting, and making dispute resolution mechanisms more effective). He also expressed Armenia’s intention to become a member of the Inclusive Framework on BEPS.
Speaking in the introductory part of the meeting, Mr Miqayel Pashayan, Deputy Chairman of the State Revenue Committee of Armenia welcomed the participants, underlining the relevance of this meeting for the exchange of best practices on the implementation of the BEPS package.
Mr Wolfgang Büttner, International Taxation Expert from the IOTA Secretariat, explained why IOTA is engaging in the Inclusive Framework, since it is IOTA’s mission to support its members’ development and provide opportunities to strengthen their collaboration. He also outlined IOTA’s capacity building activities for the member tax administrations in partnership with other stakeholders.
Ms Melinda Brown, Senior Advisor from the OECD Secretariat, presented the objectives of the meeting and elaborated on its agenda, underlining the relevance of the regional tax organisations, namely IOTA for the Inclusive Framework to achieve its purposes.
The meeting was co-chaired by Ms Nairuhi Avetisyan, Head of the Transfer Pricing and International Projects Division, State Revenue Committee of Armenia, and Mr Wolfgang Büttner, IOTA’s International Tax Expert.
The meeting addressed the latest developments in the Inclusive Framework, the state of play in the implementation of the BEPS four minimum standards, recent developments regarding toolkits and capacity building, and the signing of the Multilateral Instrument (MLI) to implement tax-treaty related BEPS measures. Participants also worked together on practical case studies on Country-by-Country Reporting (BEPS Action 13), on preferential tax regimes and exchange of information on tax rulings (BEPS Action 5), on treaty shopping and treaty abuse (BEPS Action 6), and on the MLI.
Further information about the meeting is available HERE for registered users of our website.
Read more about the event on the OECD website where you will also find the Co-chairs' Statement.
