Global Forum members’ Competent Authorities meet in Tbilisi for their annual experience-sharing conference

 

16/05/2023 - The 10^th Global Forum Competent Authorities Conference was kindly hosted by the Georgia Revenue Service on 15 and 16 May 2023 in Tbilisi. The event brought together 160 participants from 77 jurisdictions.

For two days, representatives engaged on a wide range of topics of relevance for Competent Authorities. Discussions covered practical matters related to the implementation of both the transparency and exchange of information on request (EOIR) and the automatic exchange of financial account information (AEOI) standards. Significant time was allowed for participants to share best practices on how to develop and maintain effective relationships at all stages of the exchange of information (EOI) process.

“The sharing of experience and views on the practice of the exchange of information contributes to the effectiveness of tax transparency and to building a great network of Competent Authorities”, said Levan Kakava, Director of the Georgia Revenue Service.

The Global Forum Secretariat presented the new Competent Authorities secure web community and shed light on the latest developments on the Common Transmission System for AEOI. It also updated attendees on the latest tools developed for capacity-building purposes and available to all Competent Authorities.

“The Global Forum Secretariat is fully committed to assist all Competent Authorities in achieving their EOI objectives at all times”, said Zayda Manatta, Head of the Global Forum Secretariat.

The event, the first in-person conference of the Competent Authorities since 2019, provided an opportunity to explore how Competent Authorities can help ensure an effective implementation of the EOI standards. Its format offered participants a space for very fruitful discussions and helped Competent Authorities expand their respective networks.

The Global Forum is the leading multilateral body mandated to ensure that jurisdictions around the world adhere to and effectively implement both the exchange of information on request standard and the standard of automatic exchange of information. These objectives are achieved through a robust monitoring and peer review process. The Global Forum also runs an extensive capacity-building programme to support its members in implementing the standards and help tax authorities make the best use of cross-border information sharing channels.

For more information, please contact gftaxcooperation@oecd.org.