BRICS Tax Cooperation 2024
Daniil Egorov
Commissioner
FTS of Russia
Dear friends!
The FTS of Russia as the host cordially welcomes BRICS tax authorities to Tax Experts and Tax Heads Meetings during Russian 2024 BRICS Chairmanship.
According to the decision adopted by the 15th BRICS Summit in August 2023, BRICS association now includes 10 countries, which is a strong indication of the growing authority of BRICS and its role in international arena. The FTS of Russia is specially
honored to host the tax meetings of our extended BRICS family this year.
We enjoy more than a decade of valuable tax cooperation within BRICS that definitely enriches tax authorities with valuable experience and knowledge and strengthens our capacity.
The BRICS tax cooperation mechanism remains a unique and collaborative platform aimed at improving tax administration and governance. Establishment of the BRICS Heads of Tax Authorities Forum Governance Framework could advance BRICS tax authorities through
more structured exchange of knowledge and capacity building under people, data and technology workstreams with a focus to tangible results. You may find background information and updates on the BRICS tax workstreams
in the E-library section above.
Following the commitment to promote cooperation and share views on the common opportunities and challenges that our tax authorities face, I believe Tax Experts and Tax Heads Meetings this year would become an excellent opportunity to reinforce our discussions
on modern tax administration, define the areas of collaboration and move BRICS tax cooperation forward.
Looking forward to meeting you in Moscow in September 2024!
BRICS tax cooperation: key milestones
2023
In November 2023, BRICS Meeting of Tax Authorities, chaired by the South African Revenue Service (SARS), took place in Cape Town.
BRICS Tax Heads and Experts Meeting was preceded with two online meetings of the Women in Tax Network and Young Tax Professionals Working Group held in July and September 2023.
During the meeting in Cape Town discussions were focused around the theme “Building the smart modern tax authority through leveraging people, data and technology” and included the following topics:
Developing a high performing, diverse, agile and engaged workforce
Increasing the use of data to improve integrity, derive insight and improve outcomes
Modernizing systems to provide digital and streamlined services.
It was agreed that people, data and technology are crucial factors to build the modern smart tax authority and BRICS members can further strengthen exchanges and cooperation in these three workstreams to promote the modern tax administration.
With a view to better institutionalize BRICS Tax Cooperation, the parties also discussed the BRICS Heads of Tax Authorities Forum Governance Framework agreement, which received a broad support by BRICS members.
Proposed framework comprises three terms of reference:
BRICS Tax Authorities Forum
Women in Tax Network
Young Tax Professionals Working Group
Framework is aimed at formalizing the procedure for the development of annual collaborative tax work program and the handover process as well as the rules for decision-making and accountability for action under BRICS tax cooperation.
During interactive discussions experts and heads of BRICS tax authorities have elaborated a consolidated workplan outline that creates a ground for BRICS tax cooperation in 2024.
Download a consolidated workplan outline
Meeting report covering the two days of the Tax Experts and Heads meeting is attached.
Download a Meeting Report
2022
In November 2022 the meeting of BRICS Tax Heads and Experts Meeting was held online by the State Taxation Administration (STA) of China, marking the 10th anniversary of tax cooperation between the five economies.
The outcomes of the meeting is reflected in the final Communique.
Download Communique
The meeting officially launched the publication of BRICS Best Tax Practices – an initiative, proposed by the STA of China and endorsed by all the other BRICS tax authorities.
The idea behind the initiative is to create a knowledge sharing product of the BRICS tax cooperation to strengthen their own capacity building and at the same time to inspire ideas and best practices of other countries, especially developing countries.
For the first time in BRICS tax dialogue, representatives of the United Nations (UN), the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Inter-American Centre of Tax Administration (CIAT) were invited and participated in the open session of the BRICS Tax Heads
Meeting.
They welcomed the launch of the BRICS Best Tax Practices as a knowledge product of the BRICS tax cooperation and took part in the panel discussion on future development of BRICS tax cooperation. Representatives of the UN, IMF and CIAT shared their views
and discussed contributions of international organizations in promoting reforms, deepening cooperation and enhancing capacity building.
2021
In September 2021 BRICS Tax Heads and Experts Meeting was held virtually by the Department of Revenue of the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of India.
Redefining business processes of tax administration amidst challenges posed by COVID-19 and in the digital era was the broad theme of the meeting.
The Communique indicated that the participants agreed to continuously discuss digital transformation of the tax administration and dedicate time and effort to help each in improving capacity in digitalization.
Download Communique
2020
In May 2020 the first virtual BRICS Tax Heads and Experts Meeting was hosted by the FTS of Russia under Russian chairmanship in BRICS. The participants discussed BRICS Tax Authorities response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
BRICS Tax Authorities shared their approaches in supporting businesses and individuals as well as to maintain business continuity and level of employment.
The results of the meeting can be traced in the final Communique.
The outbreak of COVID-19 global pandemic interrupted the practice of in-person meetings of BRICS Tax Heads and Experts.
Download Communique
2018
In June 2018 the meeting of the BRICS Tax Heads and Experts was held in Johannesburg, South Africa.
The main topic of the meeting in 2018 was challenges and opportunities that digitalization creates for tax policy and administration. The results of the discussions were summed up in the final Communique.
Download Communique
Following the provisions of Memorandum of Cooperation and with a view to enhancing cooperation in building tax capacity, BRICS Tax Heads also agreed to establish Capacity Building Mechanism, which brought to the series of BRICS tax experts meetings held
in South Africa and Russia in 2019 and 2023.
2017
The key achievement of BRICS Tax Heads and Experts Meeting, which was held in Hangzhou, China, in July 2017 was signing of the Memorandum of Cooperation between the Secretariat of the Federal Revenue of the Federative Republic of Brazil, the Federal Tax
Service of the Russian Federation, the Department of Revenue of the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of India, the State Administration of Taxation of the People’s Republic of China and the South
African Revenue Service of the Republic of South Africa.
The Memorandum of Cooperation reaffirmed the commitment to capacity building and experience sharing between BRICS countries and for other developing countries.
Download Memorandum of Cooperation
Download Communique
2016
In December 2016, the meeting of Heads of BRICS tax authorities took place in Mumbai, India.
Participants reiterated their commitment to provision of support to the developing countries in increasing their tax administrations’ capacity in implementation of the Automatic Exchange of Information and combatting tax evasion.
You may find below the summary of discussion in the Communique issued in Mumbai on December 6th, 2016.
Download Communique
Also, India as the hosting country has delivered the presentation of the BRICS tax authorities’ activities in building capacity and assisting developing countries to the Forum of Tax administration of the OECD in Beijing, China in May, 2016.
You may find Capacity Building: BRICS Perspective Report below.
Download Capacity Building: BRICS Perspective Report
2015
In November 2015 Heads of BRICS tax authorities hold the meeting in Moscow, under Russian chairmanship in BRICS.
Joint commitment was expressed to exchange of best practices and continue working towards common approaches to the issues of digital economy, cross-border electronic trade and transfer pricing. To this end, the parties agreed to rotate the hosting of
technical assistance events aimed at developing countries.
The Communique, issued in Moscow on November 19, 2015, captured the main results of the meeting.
Download Communique
2013
Based on the decision taken by the BRICS Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors in 2012, the first meeting of the Heads of BRICS tax authorities was held in January 2013 in New Delhi, India. The aim of the meeting was to identify specific areas
of common interest and concern as well as to develop a cooperative approach on issues related to tax administration cooperation, tackling tax evasion in the international context and capacity building.
You may find the summary of this discussion in the Communique of the meeting issued in New Delhi on 18th January, 2013.
Download Communique
The issue of the governance framework was also raised at the first meeting of the Heads of BRICS tax authorities and then further discussed at the second meeting of BRICS Heads of Tax Administrations that took place on the margins of the Forum on Tax
Administration of the OECD in May 2013 in Moscow, Russia.
The meeting’s participants signed a Communique on the enhancement of cooperation on tax administration matters.