India chairs virtual meeting of BRICS Heads of Tax Authorities and experts on tax matters

New Delhi, September 16, 2021

The Heads of Tax Authorities of the BRICS countries held a virtual meeting on Wednesday under the chairship of India.

Revenue Secretary Tarun Bajaj, in his capacity as Head of Tax Authorities in India, presided over this meeting.

The meeting discussed the challenges faced by BRICS tax administrations in the digital era, coupled with the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, sharing experiences and devising strategies to overcome those challenges.

The broad theme of the meeting was redefining the business processes of tax administration amid challenges posed by the pandemic and in the digital era. During the meetings, the tax authorities also exchanged opinions and views based on the existing commitment to the principles of mutual respect, consolidation and continuity as stated in the XIII BRICS Summit, New Delhi Declaration issued on September 9, 2021.

The meeting was preceded by meetings of the Tax Experts of BRICS countries on September 13-14. In this meeting, the tax experts discussed potential areas of cooperation, exchanged views and experiences.

The discussion took place around relevant topics which include digitisation of tax administration, leveraging technology for tackling tax evasion, changing role of tax administration from enforcement to service, preparedness and strategies to deal with challenges of COVID-19 and evolution of tax administration to enhance voluntary compliance by taxpayers.

BRICS comprises Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa

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