IMF Conference

A core challenge for many developing countries is to improve their domestic revenue mobilization—to raise more, in ways that are more efficient, fairer and better promote good governance.

The aim of this conference, marking the launch of two trust funds to support the Fund's technical assistance in this area, was to bring together leading policy makers and academics, business and civil society to improve decisions and advice by learning from successes and failures of the past, and from the most recent academic advances. In doing so, and drawing lessons from the IMF conference in Nairobi on March 21-22, hosted by the Kenya Government, it also aimed to inform the response to the G20's recent request in this area.

The main sessions comprised brief presentations by leading experts and country officials, followed by discussants' remarks and open discussion.

Kindly note that attendance to this event is by invitation only.

Revenue Mobilization and Development
Sunday, April 17 HQ1 Gallery
8:15-9:30	Registration
Session 1
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9:30-9:45	Opening Address: Dominique Strauss-Kahn, Managing Director, International Monetary Fund
9:45-10:00	Challenges and opportunities—An overview: Carlo Cottarelli, Director, Fiscal Affairs Department, IMF
10:00-10:15	Lessons from the Nairobi conference: Allen Kagina, Commissioner General, Uganda Revenue Authority, Uganda
10:15-10:45	Break
Session 2
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10:45-11:30	State building, equity and the political economy of tax reform in developing countries—Policymakers’ perspective Chair: Nicolás Eyzaguirre, Director, Western Hemisphere Department, International Monetary Fund Panelists: Emilia Pires, Minister of Finance, Timor Leste William Chong Wong, Minister of Finance, Honduras Brian Atwood, Chair, Development Assistance Committee Clotilde Nizigama, Minister of Finance, Burundi Syda Bbumba, Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, Uganda
11:30-12:15	State building, equity and the political economy of tax reform in developing countries—Analytical issues Chair: Martin Ravaillon, Director, Development Research Group, World Bank Speakers: Alberto Barreix, Senior Economist, Inter-American Development Bank Wilson Prichard, Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, University of Toronto
12:15-1:45	Lunch—by invitation, HQ1 Blue level Room 702 Speaker: Christian Masset, General Director, General Directorate for Globalization, Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, France
Session 3
Watch the Webcast (Part 1 | Part 2)
1:45-3:00	An overview of lessons, issues, and opportunities Chair: Pierre Pestieau, University of Liège Speaker: Michael Keen, Senior Advisor, Fiscal Affairs Department, IMF Discussants: Mihir Desai, Mizuho Financial Group Professor of Finance, Harvard Business School Henry Rotich, Deputy Director, Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Kenya Luc Lampière, Executive Director, Oxfam France
3:00-3:30	Break
3:30-5:00	Reforming revenue administration Chair: Agus Martowardojo, Minister of Finance, Indonesia Speakers: Juan Toro, Chief, Revenue Administration Division, Fiscal Affairs Department, IMF Ifueko Omoigui Okauru, Member of the Council, African Tax Administration Forum Marcio Verdi, Executive Secretary, Inter-American Center of Tax Administrations Marek Welenczyk, Executive Secretary, Intra-European Organisation of Tax Administrations
Monday, April 18 HQ1 Meeting Halls A and B
8:00-9:30	Registration and coffee
Session 4
9:00-10:30	Reforming tax policy and administration in practice—country experiences Chair: Victoria Perry, Chief, Tax Policy Division, Financial Affairs Department, IMF Speakers: Harry Kitillya, Commissioner General, Tanzania Revenue Authority, Tanzania Alfred Bagueka Assobo, Director General, General Directorate of Taxation, Ministry of Finance, Cameroon Nasiruddin Ahmed, Chairman, National Board of Revenue, Bangladesh Rusudan Kemularia, Deputy Minister of Finance, Georgia Van Phung Nguyen, Deputy Director, Tax Policy Department, Ministry of Finance, Vietnam
10:30-11:00	Break
Session 5
11:00-12:30	Business taxation Chair: Jeffrey Owens, Director, OECD Tax Policy and Administration Centre Speakers: Corporate tax competition and tax coordination Mario Mansour, Senior Economist, Tax Policy Division, Fiscal Affairs Department, IMF International tax issues Alan Carter, Coordinator, International Tax Dialogue Taxing small business Rajul Awasthi, Senior Development Specialist, Investment Climate Advisory, International Finance Corporation Discussants: Allen Kagina, Commissioner General, Uganda Revenue Authority, Uganda Eugene Ubalijoro, Private Investors for Africa
12:30-1:45	Lunch
Session 6
1:45-2:45	Customs and indirect tax reform Chair: Sergio Mujica, Deputy Secretary General, World Customs Organization Speaker: Anne-Marie Geourjon, Maître de Conférence, CERDI, Université d’Auvergne Discussants: Antoine N'Gakosso, Director General, General Directorate of Taxation, Ministry of Finance, Republic of Congo Krishna Hari Baskota, Secretary, Ministry of Finance, Nepal
2:45-3:45	Taxing natural resources Chair: Philip Daniel, Deputy Division Chief, Tax Policy Division, Fiscal Affairs Department, IMF Speaker: Carole Nakhle, Energy Economist, Surrey Energy Economics Centre, University of Surrey Discussants: Seth Terkper, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Finance, Ghana Batjargal Bazarsuren, Fiscal Policy Department, Ministry of Finance, Mongolia
3:45-4:15	Break
4:15-5:15	Taxation and decentralization Chair: Roberto Ugarte, Head, Tax Office, Bolivia Speaker: Gérard Chambas, Research Director, CERDI, Université d’Auvergne Discussants: Dieudonné Locadi Moga, Director General, Directorate General of Taxation, Ministry of Finance, Democratic Republic of Congo Ricardo Varsano, Tax Policy Consultant
5:15-6:00	Closing Panel Chair: Antoinette Sayeh, Director, African Department, IMF Panelists: Soumaïla Cissé, President, West African Monetary Economic and Monetary Union Commission Juan Ricardo Ortega, Director, National Tax and Customs Administration, Colombia Maria Recente, Assistant Secretary, Ministry of Finance, Philippines; and Advisor to the World Bank Executive Director representing the Philippines
6:00-6:10	Close: Michael Keen, Senior Advisor, Fiscal Affairs Department, IMF
Tuesday, April 19 HQ1 Meeting Halls A and B
8:30-9:30	Registration and coffee
Special Session I
	The role of technical assistance Chair: Nemat Shafik, Deputy Managing Director, International Monetary Fund
8:30-9:30	Advisors’ perspective Speakers: David Kloeden and Philip Daniel, Deputy Division Chief, Revenue Administration Division, and Deputy Division Chief, Tax Policy Division, Fiscal Affairs Department, IMF Ben Dickinson, Secretariat, OECD Raul Junquera-Varela, Senior Public Finance Specialist, World Bank Michael Lennard, Chief, International Tax Cooperation Section, United Nations David Dod, United States Agency for International Development
9:30-10:30	Donor, industry and civil society perspective Speakers: David McNair, Senior Economic Justice Advisor, Christian Aid Janine Juggins, Global Head of Tax, Rio Tinto David Nguyen-Thanh, Team Leader, Sector Program Public Finances and Resource Governance, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), GmbH
10:30-11:00	Break
11:00-11:45	Country response Speakers: Elfrieda Stewart Tamba, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Finance, Liberia Viralee Lattibeaudiere, Head, Revenue Department, Ministry of Finance, Jamaica
Special Session II
	The report for the G20—Open Discussion Working paper on Orientations for French cooperation on tax matters (in French and English)
12:00-2:00	Working Lunch Alan Carter, Coordinator, International Tax Dialogue