IOTA Workshop on Tax Returns: Prefilled and Implicit – Existing Methods and Perspectives was held on 7-9 October 2015 in Copenhagen, Denmark in cooperation with Danish Ministry of Taxation. 37 participants from 25 countries has exchanged views and experiences in the field of using technological solutions to enhance tax return processing capabilities, focusing on prefilling tax returns for Personal Income Tax.
The workshop has successfully met its aim to create inspiration and aspiration for more advanced goals and opportunities in utilizing pre-filling. Based on case examples and good practice, the workshop has focused on the area of prefilling with an emphasis on identifying the taxpayer, getting the data via third party reporting and processing the automated prefilled tax return, maximizing the value in relation to service delivery with a focus on compliance right from the start.
In order to make the exchange of views more interactive participants continued the work in group discussions after the presentations. In the groups members concentrated on discussion about challenges and barriers their administrations are facing in three main fields: third party reporting and data, processing data and the reporting role of the taxpayer and making value of data. During group sessions participants had the opportunity to discuss problems and solutions and to devise further solutions to any outstanding issues by a free exchange of information. The main findings of group discussion were presented in plenary sessions in order to share it with all participants.
In the post-event evaluation, participants have generally expressed great satisfaction with the event. They have found the workshop useful and inspiring and have welcomed the opportunity for sincere and open exchange of views and experiences. Participants also highlighted the importance of the event in making it possible to establish contacts with tax practitioners dealing with the same issue. They expressed their convinction that they will be able to implement the ideas for project developments gained in workshop and that they will consult each other during the whole process of project.