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30 May, 2016

300+ Stakeholders Convene for Meeting to Broaden Asia-Pacific Tax Collection

JAKARTA, Indonesia, (BUSINESS WIRE), 26 May 2016 – Fiscal officials from 15 Asia-Pacific countries met this week with leading academic specialists and private-sector representatives in Jakarta, Indonesia for the 13th annual “Asia-Pacific Tax Forum.”

The meeting, organized by the International Tax and Investment Center (www.iticnet.org), in cooperation with the Institute for Development of Economics and Finance, Mercu Buana University, the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the American Chamber of Commerce in Indonesia, featured opening remarks by Indonesian Vice President Muhammad Jusuf Kalla and Professor Dr. Bambang Brodjonegoro, Indonesian Minister of Finance.

“One of the main challenges the meeting addressed is how countries can spur economic growth and collect more taxes,” stated ITIC President Daniel Witt. He added that, “[the meeting’s] rich and diverse agenda included many of the same topics dominating the agendas of the G-7, G-20 and IMF and World Bank, but the APTF meeting examined these issues in a unique Asian context.”

In his welcome remarks, Dr. Arissetyanto Nugrho, Rector of Mercu Buana University and Chairman of the meeting’s organizing committee, looked forward to advancing the discussion of “expanding the Indonesian tax base among academicians, researchers, business leaders, and policy makers in order to shape a better future of the world as well as better a nation’s prosperity and sovereignty.”

The conference focused on a number of key issues, including fiscal policy challenges of middle income status, the fiscal impact of China’s development on emerging Asia, goods and services taxation (GST) issues, the implications of base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS) for Asia-Pacific countries, taxation of the extractive sector, improving tax compliance in the region, and the coordination of tax policy with environmental goals.

Dr. Didik Rachbini, President Director, Institute for Development of Economics and Finance (INDEF), remarked that “this conference is dedicated to seeking the best solution in promoting tax reform and improving investment climate. We believe our goals can be achieved through multi-stakeholder discussion.”

The “Asia-Pacific Tax Forum” is an annual international conference that brings regional government officials in tax policy and administration together with academic and industry experts and representatives from international organizations. The forum has developed into an ongoing platform for tax research and deliberation that benefits from expert insights and shared experience.