IMF Conference

Day 1: Thursday, April 25 

Time 

Remarks 

9:00 AM–9:30 AM 

Registration 

Opening Session 

9:30 AM–9:40 AM 

Opening Address – Mr. Kenji Okamura, Deputy Managing Director, IMF 

9:40 AM–9:50 AM 

Welcome Address Mr. Shuichi Hosoda, Deputy Vice Minister for International Tax Policy, Tax Bureau, MOF, Japan

9:50 AM–10:20 AM

Photo Session and Coffee Break 

Session on Tax Trends in Asia

10:20 AM–11:45 AM 

Chair: Mr. Takuji Tanaka, Former Executive Director of Japan, IMF

Presentations: Mr. Ruud De Mooij, Deputy Director, Fiscal Affairs Department (FAD), IMF (15 min.) 

Mr. Syed Mohammad Abu Daud, Member, National Board of Revenue, Ministry of Finance, Bangladesh   

Mr. Keanhuy Sour, Economist, General Department of Policy, Ministry of Economy and Finance, Cambodia 

Mr. Sivay Vilaihan, Director of Planning and International Cooperation Division, Tax Department, Ministry of Finance, Lao PDR 

Mr. Saowakon Meesang, Director of Tax Policy and Planning Division, Ministry of Finance, Thailand 

Mr. Erdene Nyamdavaa, Senior Specialist of the Tax Policy Department, Ministry of Finance, Mongolia 

Mr. Mahesh Baral, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Finance, Nepal

Discussions: 

Session on International Taxation  

Pillar 2 of the Inclusive Framework Agreement on the 2-pillar reform of the international tax framework is currently being implemented by several countries. This could have profound effects for all countries, including those who have not yet implemented the new rules or who are not part of the agreement. The session will discuss the implications for developing countries, including for revenue, investment and the economy. It will also discuss how countries can best respond to the new circumstances, including through building capacity in the revenue administration to cope with international tax issues, adopting simplified measures to protect the domestic tax base, and by reforming domestic policies, such as investment tax incentives. The session will also discuss issues that should feature on the future international tax agenda from the perspective of developing countries.

11:45 AM–1:00 PM 

Impact and Domestic Policy Response to Pillar 2 

Chair:  Ms. Yuko Kinoshita, Advisor, FAD

Presentations:  

Mr. Ruud De Mooij, Deputy Director, FAD (15 min.)

Mr. David Bradbury, Deputy Director of Tax Policy, CTPA, OECD (15 min.)

Mr. Byungsik Jung, Director General, International Tax of Ministry of Economy and Finance, Korea

Mr. Kenichi Nishikata, Director, Office of International Tax Policy, Tax Bureau, MOF, Japan 

Mr. Andrew Deitz, Minister-Counsellor and Senior Treasury Representative, Embassy of Australia 

Mr. Tong Ngoc Giap, Tax Expert, Ministry of Finance, Vietnam 

Discussions: 

1:00 PM–2:00 PM 

Lunch Break

2:00 AM–2:45 PM 

Challenges for International Tax Administration 

Chair:  Mr. Karlo Fermin S. Adriano, Assistant Secretary, Fiscal Policy and Monitoring Group - Department of Finance, Philippines

Presentations: Ms. Margaret Cotton, Deputy Division Chief, FAD (20 min.)

Mrs. Aminath Shiyana, Director, International Tax Audit, Large Taxpayer and International Tax Audit, Inland Revenue Authority, Maldives 

Discussions: 

Session on Taxation of High-Income Individuals 

High- and rising-income and wealth inequality is increasingly recognized as a major concern for countries. While inequality at the bottom can often be addressed through targeted tax and spending policies, progressive tax systems are believed to be well-placed to address inequality at the top of the income distribution. Both wealth taxes and capital income taxes – which can be designed in different shapes and forms – have received renewed attention across the world recently. This session will discuss the merits and drawbacks of these different taxes (the effects on revenue, income distribution and the economy), experiences across countries, and administrative issues (the role of international information exchange, voluntary disclosure programs, and high-wealth individual units).

2:45 PM – 4:00 PM 

Chair: Ms. Teo Hui Hian, Director, Property Tax Division, Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore, Singapore

Presentations: Mr. Ruud De Mooij, FAD (20 min.) 

Prof. Motohiro Sato, Graduate School of Economics, Hitotsubashi University 

Mr. Hestu Yoga Saksama, Director of Tax Regulation I, Ministry of Finance, Indonesia

Ms. Wendy Leo, Deputy Director 2, Tax Policy, Ministry of Finance, Singapore 

Mr. B.K. Saman Shantha, Deputy Commissioner General, Tax policy, International Affairs & Legal, Inland Revenue Department, Sri Lanka 

Discussions: 

4:00 PM – 4:30 PM

Coffee break

Session on Carbon Pricing 

Climate change poses major challenges to economic growth and development in the world economy as well as macroeconomic policy making. Asia is no exception with temperatures rising two times faster than the global average and an increased frequency and severity of weather-related natural disasters. To support climate change mitigation strategies, countries in Asia are increasingly turning to carbon pricing and other complementary instruments. This session discusses the expected implications of carbon pricing and how countries can address political concerns with their introduction, followed by sharing country experiences with carbon pricing schemes in Asia and lessons learned. 

4:30 PM – 5:30 PM 

Chair: Mr. Akihiko Yoshida, Director, Office of Asia and the Pacific, IMF

Presentation:  

Ms. Yuko Kinoshita, Advisor, FAD (15 min.) 

Mr. David Bradbury, Deputy Director of Tax Policy, CTPA, OECD (15 min.)

Mr. Tomoki Sano, Deputy Director, Environmental Policy Division, Industrial Science, Technology and Environment Policy Bureau, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), Japan 

Discussions: 

6:00 PM – 8:00 PM

Reception hosted by Japan’s MOF 

Welcome Address –Mr. Kentaro Ogata, Deputy Director General, International Bureau, MOF, Japan

Time 

Remarks 

Session on Building Tax Capacity through Governance and Accountability 

To mobilize revenue effectively and efficiently, it is essential that the tax system is fair and adequately enforced and that people have trust in its institutions. This requires the combination of a well-designed and coherent policy framework, transparent policies and institutions, and good governance by people with appropriate technical and human skills. Building a good institutional and governance framework and maintaining its credibility over time can be challenging, however. The session will discuss the features of a good governance and accountability framework, both on the design of policies (including the required information, data, analysis and organization) and its implementation (organization, core processes, compliance management, digitalization). Countries will share experience on best practices.

9:30 AM–10:45 AM 

Tax Policy Issues  

Chair: Mr. Saiful Aznee bin Ab Ghafar, Senior Principal Assistant Secretary, Malaysia

Presentations: Mr. Ruud De Mooij, FAD (20min.) 

Mr. Tariq Niazi, Senior Director, Public Sector Management & Governance, Asian Development Bank 

Mr. Syed Mohammad Abu Daud, Member, National Board of Revenue, Ministry of Finance, Bangladesh   

Mr. Alex Kapone, Economist, Macroeconomic Policy Division, Department of Treasury, Papua New Guinea

Discussions: 

10:45 AM–11:00 AM 

Coffee Break 

11:00 AM–12:15 PM 

Tax Administration Issues  

Chair: Mr. Mahesh Baral, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Finance, Nepal

Presentations: Ms. Margaret Cotton, FAD (20 min.)

Ms. Da Costa Abenta, Director for International Tax Affairs Unit, International Tax Affairs Unit, Tax Authority, Ministry of Finance, Timor Leste 

Mr. De Silva K. Sudarshana, Director, Fiscal Policy, Ministry of Finance, Economic Stabilization and National Policies, Sri Lanka 

Dr. Lamy Mong, Chief of Bureau of Tax Policy, Department of Law, Tax Policy, and International Tax Cooperation, General Department of Taxation, Ministry of Economy and Finance, Cambodia 

Discussions: 

12:15 PM–1:30 PM 

Lunch Break

Session on Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence 

Digitalization has been transforming tax administration practices over recent decades and generative AI promises to further revolutionize this. These changes go well beyond adopting new technologies – they require a transformation of organizations, people, processes and relationships with customers. While sometimes successful, digitalization also often fails to deliver its potential. This session will address the broader context of digital transformation, ranging from data integrity, information security, increasing ICT expenditures and navigating competing reform priorities. Countries will share experiences regarding emerging implications of AI in tax administration, including how to deal with challenges.  Selected AI challenges and opportunities for tax administrations will also be addressed. Moreover, the session will cover the tax policy implications of digitalization. 

1:30 PM–2:45 PM 

Digitalization and AI – What are the Implications? 

Chair: Ms. Yuko Kinoshita, FAD

Presentations: Mr. Ruud De Mooij, FAD (20 min.) 

Prof. Hiroyuki Kohyama, Graduate Schools of Law and Politics, University of Tokyo

Mr. Leung Kin-wa, Deputy Commissioner (Operations), Inland Revenue Department, Hong Kong 

Mr. Deepak Chaudhury, Deputy Commissioner of Income Tax, Department of Revenue (OSD), India

Mr. Yang Yu, Deputy Director, Income Tax Department, State Taxation Administration of China 

Discussions: 

2:45 PM–3:15 PM 

Coffee Break 

3:15 PM-4:30 PM 

Challenges of Digitalization for Tax Administrations 

Chair: Ms. Wendy Leo, Deputy Director 2, Tax Policy, Ministry of Finance, Singapore 
 

Presentations: Ms. Margaret Cotton, FAD (20 min.)

Mr. Abhishek Tripathy, Deputy Commissioner, Department of Revenue, India 

Mr. Hisayuki Oyanagi, Director, Office of Digitalization and Business Process Reengineering, National Tax Agency, Japan 

Mr. Peter Green, Head of the Secretariat for the Forum on Tax Administration (FTA) and Head of the Secretariat for the Task Force on Tax Crimes and Other Crimes, OECD

Discussions: 

Concluding Session 

4:30 PM-4:45 PM 

Concluding Remarks—Mr. De Mooij and Ms. Kinoshita, FAD