The development and adoption of medium-term revenue strategies is a fundamentally new approach to strengthening developing countries’ ability to raise revenue. In this seminar, the Platform for Collaboration on Tax, a joint initiative of the IMF, OECD, United Nations and World Bank Group, brings together senior representatives of ministries of finance, tax administrations, donors, civil society, local businesses and international organizations to discuss the nature and importance of medium-term revenue strategies, Key issues for debate include: building consensus, establishing commitment and fostering collaboration.
Panelists discussed the first two components of the MTRS design: building broad consensus in setting revenue versus expenditure goals, and securing government commitment to implement the plan.
Moderator: Juan Toro, Assistant Director, Fiscal Affairs Department, IMF
Panelists:
Vitor Gaspar, Director, Fiscal Affairs Department, IMF
Jorge Mario Díaz, Vice‑President, Bogotá Chamber of Commerce
Dimitry Kumsishvili, First Vice‑Prime Minister, Minister of Finance, Georgia
Suahasil Nazara, Chairman of the Fiscal Policy Agency, Ministry of Finance, Indonesia
Kwesi Obeng, Regional Programme Advisor Equality, West Africa, Oxfam
Key Points:
Quotes:
“The idea of the MTRS does not come out of the blue… this sort of medium‑term framework design is the most successful approach in assisting countries in tax system reform.” Vitor Gaspar
“The [MTRS] gives a full understanding where the government should go next 3‑5 years … First of all, we need to have the vision of the government.” Dimitry Kumsishvili
“MTRS in its current form is an important tool to promote a citizen‑driven and sustainable process.” Kwesi Obeng
“For the MTRS to be credible, it should have consensus within government.” Suahasil Nazara
“We need good governance to bring everyone to the table” Jorge Mario Díaz
Panelists discussed the tax policy, legal, and administrative reforms needed for developing countries to achieve their revenue mobilization goals using the MTRS.
Moderator: Jim Brumby, Director, Governance Global Practice, World Bank
Speakers:
Doris Akol, Commissioner General, Uganda Revenue Authority, Uganda
Mary Baine, Head of International Taxation and Technical Assistance, African Tax Administration Forum
Ruud de Mooij, Division Chief, Tax Policy, Fiscal Affairs Department, IMF
Key Points:
Quotes:
“The Medium‑Term Revenue Strategy is powerful because it forces parts of government to collaborate.” Ruud de Mooij
“[The MTRS] is a strategic road map to ensure that our development aspirations are financed fully over the medium term.” Doris Akol
Panelists discussed recent experiences and the need for continued collaboration on tax initiatives to avoid duplication of capacity building efforts, coordinate policy advice, and achieve lasting impact.
Moderator: Ben Dickinson, Head, Global Relations and Development Division, OECD
Panelists:
Bob Hamilton, Commissioner, Canada Revenue Agency and Deputy Chair of the OECD Forum on Tax Administration (FTA)
Masaaki Kaizuka, Executive Director for Japan, IMF
Richard Teuten, Head, International Financial Institutions Department, Department for International Development, United Kingdom
Charles Abel, Treasurer and Deputy Prime Minister, Papua New Guinea
Key Points:
Quotes:
“If there is no communication or common language, there will be chaos in the recipient country.” Masaaki Kaizuka
“Pointing to outcomes and results is going to be key.” Bob Hamilton
“For small countries like Papua New Guinea, the asymmetry of available information hinders growth and opportunities.” Charles Abel
"It is an imperative on the donors to coordinate, but coordinate in a way that does not disempower the government. This is a difficult balancing act.” Richard Teuten
Juan Toro
Assistant Director
Fiscal Affairs Department
IMF
Juan Toro is Assistant Director in the Fiscal Affairs Department (FAD) of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). He manages IMF revenue administration technical assistance (TA) to Europe, Asia, Middle East, and Central Asia. He has managed revenue administration TA to more than 80 member countries, and has led and participated in TA missions to more than 30 countries. From 2002 to 2006, he was commissioner of the Chilean tax administration (Servicio de Impuestos Internos), where he previously held several managerial positions. In 2004, he received the Wharton-Infosys Business Transformation Award for leading the Chilean electronic tax administration model. Private sector experience includes managerial positions and participation in board of directors in Chilean companies. He graduated as Master Degree in Economics and Management and Civil Industrial Engineer at the University of Chile, School of Engineering
Jorge Mario Díaz
Vice-President
Bogotá Chamber of Commerce
Jorge Mario Díaz has an extensive experience in the public and private sector. His experience includes being responsible for the formulation and monitoring of public policies in national government entities; leading trade unions and sectoral research entities, and working as a consultant in sectorial policies and development for the IDB, the WBG, the FAO and the Latin American Development Bank (CAF). Díaz, holds a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering from Colombia’s National University and a in Master degree in Economics from the University of North Carolina, USA, and has received specialized training in Public Policy at Research Center for Development(IRD), France.
Dimitry Kumsishvil
First Vice-Prime Minister
Minister of Finance of Georgia
Dimitry Kumsishvili is the First Vice Prime Minister since June 2016 and Minister of Finance since November 2016. Prior to his appointment, he held various high positions in the public and private sectors. He is a former Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia. While holding various positions in the public sector he was an initiator of several structural reforms, and also an initiator and active participant of the preparation process of various innovation projects for the purpose of local production stimulation, establishing Georgian production, providing its quality and developing production-focused industries.
Suahasil Nazara
Chairman of the Fiscal Policy Agency
Ministry of Finance of Indonesia
Suahasil Nazara was appointed Chairman of the Fiscal Policy Agency at the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Indonesia in October 2016. Prior to this, Suahasil was Policy Coordinator at the Secretariat of the National Team of Poverty Reduction Acceleration at the office of the Vice President (2010-2015), and a member of the National Economic Committee (2013-2014). Suahasil was previously a Professor of Economics at the Fakultas Ekonomi dan Bisnis Unversitas Indonesia.He earned his bachelor degree majoring in Economics from Universitas Indonesia (1994), and his Master of Science from Cornell University (1997). In 2003, he obtained his Doctor of Philosophy from University of Illinois.
Kwesi Obeng
Regional Programme Advisor Equality
West Africa
Oxfam
Kwesi Obeng is Oxfam’s Regional Programme Advisor – Equality (West Africa). He joined Oxfam this October from Tax Justice Network Africa (TJN-A), where he led the policy work on Tax and Extractives. As the policy lead, he also provided leadership among TJN-A’s 31 members in 19 African countries in the development of the Network’s long-term perspective and strategy in working on extractives. He worked with Third World Network-Africa (TWN-Africa), African Agenda, Public Agenda (Ghana) and Tampa Bay Times (Florida, USA). He also worked on trade and climate change policies in previous assignments.
Kwesi holds an MA in International Relations and Development Studies from the University of East Anglia in the United Kingdom. He is a British Chevening Scholar, a Forster Davies Fellow and Alfred Friendly Press Fellow. His opinions have been published by Al Jazeera, Choices, Pambazuka and Third World Resurgence among publications.
Jim Brumby
Director
Governance Global Practice
World Bank
Jim Brumby is a Director of the Governance Global Practice, and leads the department that focuses on public sector reform. He has been engaged on public management and economic reform at state, national and international levels for more than thirty years, having worked for the Treasury of the state of Victoria in Australia, the Treasury of New Zealand, the OECD, the IMF and currently since 2007, at the World Bank. He returned to World Bank headquarters in Washington DC in 2015 after a period in Indonesia as Lead Economist and Sector Manager. He holds an MPA from Harvard University.
Doris Akol
Commissioner General
Uganda Revenue Authority
Uganda
Doris Akol is a lawyer and currently is the Commissioner General at the Uganda Revenue Authority, where she is charged with the responsibility of overseeing Tax Administration and collection of Tax and Non tax revenue for Government of Uganda. She has been active in spearheading the development of medium term revenue strategy for Uganda as a sure path to increasing the revenue mobilisation potential of the country.
Mary Baine
Head of International Taxation and Technical Assistance
African Tax Administration Forum
Mary Baine is the Head of International Tax and Technical Assistance Unit of the African Tax Administration Forum. This is an African inter-governmental organisation leading tax administration reform, and that facilitates peer support among tax administrations in mobilising greater domestic resources through improved efficiency and effectiveness in their operations. Her work includes the supervision of multiple technical assistance engagements that include but aren’t limited to; VAT as a flagship tax, and Multiple Country Programmes featuring Transfer Pricing and Exchange of Information interventions in ATAF’s technical Assistance Programme. Prior to this assignment, Ms Baine served as the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Co-operation of the Republic of Rwanda, and as Commissioner-General of the Rwanda Revenue Authority, having grown through the ranks of the different tax departments over a 17-year period.
Ruud de Mooij
Division Chief
Tax Policy
Fiscal Affairs Department
IMF
Ruud de Mooij is Division Chief of the Tax Policy Division in the IMF’s Fiscal Affairs Department. The Division delivers an intensive program of technical assistance in tax policy of member countries; performs analytical work on topical tax policy issues; and supports country teams on tax-related matters. Before joining the IMF, Mr. De Mooij was Professor of Public Economics at Erasmus University in Rotterdam. He has published extensively on tax issues, including in the American Economic Review and the Journal of Public Economics. His current research focuses on income taxation, international tax issues, and the corrective role of tax. Mr. De Mooij is also a research fellow at the University of Oxford, the University of Bergen, ZEW in Mannheim, and at the CESifo network in Munich.
Ben Dickinson
Head
Global Relations and Development Division
OECD
Ben Dickinson has 25 years of experience in international development, particularly public sector reform, public financial management and anti-corruption work. He is currently Head of Global Relations and Development in the OECD’s Centre for Tax Policy and Administration. In this role, he is responsible for ensuring developing countries have a voice in OECD tax standard setting and receive the right support to undertake implementation of the Base Erosion and Profit Shifting package, including responsibility for the Tax Inspectors Without Borders initiative. He joined the OECD in 2005, as Head of Governance and Fragile States in the Development Cooperation Directorate, responsible for the Development Assistance Committee’s work on economic governance, conflict and security matters. He then established the OECD’s horizontal work on taxation and development and illicit financial flows, working with the Committee on Fiscal Affairs and the Development Assistance Committee. Prior to joining the OECD Mr. Dickinson worked for the UK government as a governance specialist in Kenya, Pakistan, Indonesia, Russia and Ukraine.
Bob Hamilton
Commissioner of the Canada Revenue Agency
Deputy Chair of the OECD Forum on Tax Administration (FTA)
Bob Hamilton was appointed as the Commissioner of the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) effective August 1, 2016. Prior to joining the Canada Revenue Agency, Bob served as Deputy Minister of Environment Canada, and Deputy Minister of Natural Resources Canada.Bob was appointed Senior Associate Secretary of the Treasury Board in March 2011 and named by the Prime Minister as the lead Canadian on the Canada-United States Regulatory Cooperation Council.Bob has held many senior positions in the Department of Finance, including Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Tax Policy, and Assistant Deputy Minister of Financial Sector Policy.He received his Honours BA and Master's degrees in Economics from the University of Western Ontario.
Masaaki Kaizuka
Executive Director for Japan
IMF
Masaaki Kaizuka is the current Executive Director representing Japan at the International Monetary Fund. Prior to this, he was the Deputy Commissioner for International Affairs at the National Tax Agency of Japan, and worked on implementing the OECD/G20 Base Erosion and Profit Shifting Action Plans. Mr. Kaizuka was Minister for Finance in the Embassy of Japan, Beijing, PRC (2011-2014). He has had a wide-ranging career with the Ministry of Finance, including engagement in trade negotiations for FTAs with many Asian countries. He was previously Director of Public Debt Management and formulated Japan’s Debt Management Policy and Plan. Mr. Kaizuka has held positions in the World Bank (1991-94) and OECD (2000-2004). He is an alumnus of the University of Tokyo (LLB1984) and Woodrow Wilson School of Princeton University (MPA1988).
Richard Teuten
Head, International Financial Institutions Department
Department for International Development
United Kingdom
Richard Teuten is Head of the International Financial Institutions Department (IFID) at the Department for International Development (DFID). Prior to this role, Richard was Head of the UK Government’s Stabilisation Unit, responsible for improving the coherence of UK support for countries suffering from violent conflict. Richard has worked on a wide range of country programmes including Pakistan, China, Vietnam, Mozambique, Malawi, Ghana and the UK Overseas Territories. Other posts have included Head of DFID’s Latin America and Caribbean Department, Head of Aid Policy and Deputy Head of Economic Relations at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Dairi Vele
Secretary Department of Treasury,
Papua New Guinea
Mr Dairi Vele is the Secretary for the Papua New Guinea Department of Treasury, a position he has held since August 2013. Interestingly, Dairi is the first Secretary for Treasury in PNG to have occupied the position his father the late Morea Vele held twice before.Dairi studied Economics at the Australian National University where he attained his Bachelors Degree in Economics in the year 2000.Prior to joining Treasury, Mr. Vele was twice the Director of the Gas Projects Coordination Office from 2007 to 2010 and 2012 to 2013 where he was heavily involved in the successful negotiation of the PNG LNG project on behalf of the State. He was also the inaugural Chief Executive Officer of the National Petroleum Company of PNG (NPCP) from 2010 to 2011.
