Tax officials meet on dispute resolution mechanism

The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs/ (UNDESA/FSDO) and the Caribbean Organisation of Tax Administrators (COTA), through the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat, have organised a workshop on the Practical Application of the Mutual Agreement Procedure (MAP).

The workshop is hosted by the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), a COTA Member. It began on 5 December at the Pegasus Hotel in Georgetown, Guyana and concludes on 9 December.

The GRA Commissioner-General, the COTA Executive Secretary and the UNDESA/FSDO lead representative delivered brief remarks at the start of the workshop.

The MAP is the dispute resolution mechanism provided for in tax treaties. It provides a framework for representatives of the contracting states to address taxpayers’ complaints about the application of the provisions of a tax treaty and difficulties or doubts arising in relation to the interpretation or application of the treaty. The fair and effective resolution of tax disputes provides certainty for the business community and allows governments to balance their revenue generation needs with the maintenance of a conducive business operating environment.

Senior Tax officials from almost all CARICOM Member States and Associate Members will be facilitated by an international team of experts in an immersive experience involving knowledge transfer and practical exercises.

The event is supported by UNDESA Regular Programme of Technical Cooperation (RPTC) and the generous contributions by the European Union, Government of India, Government of Sweden, and Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad) to a multi-donor project to strengthen effective support to the work of the UN Tax Committee and related capacity development activities.

Source: CARICOM TODAY