In order to promote enhanced international cooperation on taxation, the staffs of the International Monetary Fund, OECD, and World Bank propose to work together to establish an "International Tax Dialogue".
The ITD is intended to facilitate technical discussions and experience-sharing between government officials responsible for tax administration and policy. An additional goal of the dialogue will be to enhance collaboration among organisations that provide technical assistance in the tax area.
Reportedly, the dialogue "will not make, enforce or mediate binding tax rules, since this is the prerogative of sovereign states".
The scope of the ITD will be international and domestic tax policy and administration issues, and the conclusion of the proposal released on March 13 states, in part:
"A proposal of this nature is necessarily geared towards developing a framework for action. The proposed International Tax Dialogue aims to enhance discussions on the strengthening of national tax systems, which in turn will assist the mobilisation of tax revenues for development.
"At this stage it is important to develop a practical means of pursuing the dialogue on this important issue in a way that minimises the need for additional resources, while maximising the gains for all countries. The ITD proposed here holds the prospect of doing just that."
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