Two preparatory conferences (initiated by the
International Monetary Fund) were held, the first in Washington, supported by
the US Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service; and the second in Budapest,
with the special involvement of the European Commission where 15 signatory
countries issued a resolution expressing their interest in the formation of a
permanent organisation of tax administrators in the Central and Eastern
European countries.
1996
The 3rd Conference of Central and Eastern
European and Baltic Countries’ Tax Administrations was held in Warsaw (28 –30
October), where a statement was signed to request the support from the European
Commission within the framework of a PHARE multi-country technical assistance
programme.
The setting up of the Organisation took place
in December, with the launching of the Secretariat and the nomination of the first
President and Executive Secretary.
The creation of the Charter of IOTA and the
formation of the Executive Council were among the milestones that eventually
paved the way for the organisation of the annual work programme.
1997
The Secretariat became operational as from 1
March, with 7 founding members.
At the 1st General Assembly (29 September – 2
October) the Seat Agreement was signed between IOTA and the Government of the
Republic of Hungary. The first Executive Secretary of IOTA was Mr. Jacques
Carre from the French Tax Administration.
The Organisation had 10 full and 5 associate
members.
1998
IOTA’s quarterly magazine, Tax Tribune, which continues
to this day, was first published, sponsored by the World Bank, following the
creation of an Editorial Board.
The Seat Agreement was ratified by the
Hungarian Parliament (18 March).
The World Bank initiated the Grant for Public
Sector Institutional Development for the first few years of operation, to
promote the execution of the strategic plan and further work programmes.
The Second General Assembly (8-10 June)
approved the application of 3 new members (Romania as a full member and Denmark
and Germany as associates).
1999
In preparation for the reception of the Technical Advisory Committee, the Secretariat moved to their current premises at Rumbach
Sebestien u. 14in
Budapest, Hungary.
The setting up of the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), which initially comprised three
members from Denmark, the Netherlands and the UK, in order to facilitate the
major venture of the Business Change Management Plan, drafted for the purpose
of several IOTA members acceding to the European Union. This was carried out
through the signing of an agreement in a PHARE project. In this way IOTA became
an implementation agency for multi-country projects in the field of taxation
and the Executive Secretary took the responsibility of the Project Manager.
The Third General Assembly (1-3 September)
welcomed 4 new members: Estonia as a full member and Austria, Belgium and Italy
as associate.
IOTA now had 12 full and 10 associate members.
The initial years saw
IOTA concerned with profile building and establishing credibility on the
international scene and this was successfully achieved despite huge difficulties.
There remained a common understanding that IOTA represented the members’ mutual
interest by providing a forum for the exchange of experience and assistance for
the modernisation of tax administrations in Central and Eastern Europe,
especially in the context of Enlargement of the European Union.
2000
The Fourth General Assembly took place in
Krakow, Poland, (1-3 September), where the Memorandum of Understanding for
International Cooperation was signed with the OECD.
Also, the Secretariat began its operation with its second
Executive Secretary, Mr. Raits Averats from Latvia.
2001
The 1st Forum of IOTA correspondents (21-23
March) was held, where the basic structural arrangement together with the
definition of exact roles was clarified. Co-operation with CIAT, the sister organisation
on the American continent, also strengthened through their contribution in
sharing their long standing traditions.
Due to these achievements IOTA managed to
achieve the position of a reliable partner on the international stage, a fact
illustrated by their co-sponsoring the Global Conference ‘Tax Administrations
in an Electronic World’ – held in Montreal.
Croatia and Moldova became members, Finland and Sweden associate members. The membership
grew to 14 full members and 12 associate members.
The technical work programme continued to expand to include seminars,
workshops and a study visit.
Four issues of the Tax Tribune were released,
the number of post-event publications was seven, and for the first time an IOTA
booklet was edited to foster the promotion of the Organisation. The year saw
the launching of the Website, too.
2002
The 6th General Assembly took place in Riga,
Latvia (11-13 September).
Azerbaijan, Germany and Serbia
became full members, and Iceland, Norway and Switzerland associate members of
the Organisation
Membership had now grown to 17 full members
and 15 associate members.
The ambitious work programme was
carried out by the Technical Advisory Committee of three members (Germany, Netherlands, and
UK).
The Principal Contact Persons, appointed
from within each member country, had two meetings during 2002, ensuring that
they were informed about the details of the Work Programme.
The number of technical events
continued to increase as the Work Programme expanded and three Tax Tribunes were
issued.
2003
The 7th General Assembly took place in
Tallinn, Estonia (10 -12 September).
The United Kingdom and Montenegro were accepted
as full members and Ireland and Ukraine (as from the year 2004) joined as
associate members.
A new Strategic Working Group was established
to consider the Role and Strategy of IOTA beyond 1 May 2004.
The range of Technical Events were again
extended to include a greater variety of topics and forums for discussion.
In the field of publications a major
achievement was the setting up of an Editorial Board in order to develop new
conceptual proposals for the IOTA technical publications.
Tax Tribune was issued covering the topics of
‘VAT Fraud Investigation’ and ‘In Focus: Creation of the CLO’.
2004
The 8th General Assembly was held in Prague,
the Czech Republic (14-16 June).
France, Georgia and Ireland and the two entities
of Bosnia and Herzegovina were accepted as full members.
At this time membership rose to 24, full members
and 13 associate members.
Technical events were focused around the five
Area Groups workshops and the newly introduced case-study workshops/seminars.
The year also saw the 1st Forum of Heads of Training, an event held
annually ever since.
Tax Tribune continued to be published now exclusively
for professional articles, and two issues were distributed in the year.
2005
The 9th General Assembly was held in Krakow, Poland (20-22 June).
Based on the recommendations of the Strategic
Working Group, 6 former associate members decided to become full member: the Netherlands (with immediate effect), Belgium, Finland, Norway, Spain and Sweden from 2006. Important decisions relating
to the areas of financial auditing of the Organisation, its strategy and the
membership contribution system were revised.
With 29 members and 7 associate members IOTA
carried out a work programme increased in scope and in the number of activities.
It was decided to plan a ‘pilot’ technical
publication titled “Good Practice Guidance: Call centres”, for the following
year, as initiated by the Area Group Taxpayer Education and Services.
The Tax Tribune was again published twice
during the year, and the IOTA Booklet, now traditionally issued every year, was
updated accordingly.
A new Memorandum of Understanding for
International Cooperation between IOTA and the OECD was signed at the 54th
meeting of the Executive Council.
2006
The 10th (Jubilee) General Assembly took place
in Budapest, Hungary (22 -23 May).
Full membership of Austria, Cyprus, Denmark,
Greece, Iceland, Italy, Malta, Switzerland and Ukraine was accepted, making the
membership 38, whereas the Organisation had to take note of the cessation of the
membership of the United States IRS.
As a follow-up to the recommendations of the
Strategic Working Group, the Financial Management Strategy and the
Communication Strategy of IOTA were created and implemented.
During the year IOTA continued co-operation
with various International Organisations that provide technical assistance to tax
administrations worldwide. Memoranda of Understanding were signed between IOTA
and CIAT and with the European Commission.
Work at the Secretariat continued with a new Executive
Secretary, Mr. Marek Welenczyk from the Polish Ministry of Finance. Also, as
decided in 2005, a Technical Taxation Advisor appointed by IOTA as a ‘pilot’
project took up position in March, for an initial period of 24 months. The
number of ‘TAC’ members increased to 3, due to the in-kind contribution of
France and Germany.
The Secretariat organized 15 technical events
during the year, as well as the technical sessions of the 10th
General Assembly.
Two issues of the Magazine Tax Tribune were
published as well as the IOTA Good Practice Guide “Call Centres”.
2007
The 11th General Assembly of IOTA took
place in Varna,
Bulgaria, from 11 to 12
June 2007,
where the professional theme "Electronic Taxpayer Services of the Modern Tax
Administration" was discussed.
Those participating included 35 member tax
administrations, 4 delegations from observer tax administrations and
representatives of 2 international organisations.
The IOTA membership was increased by acceptance
of the applications of the Indirect Tax Authorities from Bosnia and Herzegovina (with immediate effect), the Tax
Administration from Portugal (as from 1 January
2008) and the
Tax Administration from Jordan (associate membership also from 1
January 2008).
The General Assembly approved the Financial
Regulations and amendments to the Charter.
The Assembly elected the head of the Slovenian
Tax Administration to be the next President of IOTA and accordingly accepted
that the 12th General Assembly be held in Slovenia.
The composition of the Executive Council was
increased from 7 to 9 members, with representatives from the Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Sweden and Switzerland being elected.
The Internal Auditors were
also nominated, two representatives from the Bulgarian and the French Tax Administrations.
2008
The 12th General Assembly of IOTA, fully funded by the membership of IOTA took place in Portorož, Slovenia on 30 June - 1 July 2008. A total of 121 delegates, 16 representatives of the central and local tax authorities of Slovenia, and 25 support staff members representing 43 tax administrations and 11 international and regional organisations (CATA, CFE, EU, IBFD, IFA, IMF, OECD, SOGEI, TACTA and USAID) participated in the Assembly.
The Members accepted the application for immediate full membership to the Organisation by the Tax Administrations of Belarus and application for associate membership to the Organisation by the Tax Administration of Kazakhstan, with effect from 1 January 2009.
The Members approved the IOTA Strategy 2008-2012, amendments to the Charter and decided that the 13th General Assembly of IOTA will be held in Sweden whereas the new President of IOTA will be Mr. Mats Sjöstrand, the Director General of the Swedish Tax Agency.
The Executive Council of IOTA was appointed, the Members of which are representatives of the tax administrations of: Sweden (President), Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Netherlands, Poland, Slovenia, Switzerland and United Kingdom.
Mr. Miklós Kok from Hungary and Mr. Normunds Rudzītis from Latvia were appointed as the Internal Auditors of the Organisation between 12th and 13th General Assemblies.
The participants discussed the professional theme “Joined up Government: more efficiency and reducing the administrative burden through cooperation between other governmental bodies” and adopted the declaration related thereto.
2009
The 13th General Assembly of IOTA took place in Stockholm, Sweden
on 9 - 10 July 2009. A total of 116 delegates, representing 42 tax
administrations and 11 international and regional organisations (CATA, EU, GTZ,
IBFD, IFA, IMF, ITIC, OECD, SOGEI and USAID) participated in the Assembly.
The Members accepted the application for
immediate full membership to the Organisation by the Tax Administration of
Luxembourg.
The Members approved the Recommendations of the
Executive Council for the implementation of Strategic Initiative 2.3, and
agreed that for the year 2010 the annual membership contributions of the
Organisation be frozen at the level of the 2009 contributions. It was decided
that the 14th General Assembly of IOTA will be held in Belgium whereas the new President
of IOTA will be Mr. Jean-Marc Delporte, the Deputy Administrator General of the
Belgian Tax Agency.
The Executive Council of IOTA was appointed, the
Members of which are representatives of the tax administrations of: Belgium (President), Austria,
Estonia, France, Hungary,
Norway, Slovenia, Spain
and United Kingdom.
Mr. Normunds Rudzītis from Latvia and Mr. Vilhelm
Andersson from Sweden were appointed as the
Internal Auditors of the Organisation between 13th and 14th General Assemblies.
The members decided to renew the appointment of
the serving Executive Secretary, Mr. Marek Welenczyk from Poland, as
recommended by the Executive Council in accordance with Article 15.2 of the
IOTA Charter.
The participants discussed the
professional theme "The Fight against Fraud: Successful measures adopted by tax
administration to tackle tax fraud taking into account limitations imposed by
data confidentiality" and adopted the Communiqué related thereto.
2010
The representatives of 42 Member tax administrations of IOTA met to hold the 14th General Assembly of IOTA in Brussels, Belgium on 8-9 July 2010. The Members decided that the tax administration of France will hold the 2010/2011 IOTA Presidency, represented by Mr. Jean-Marc Fenet, and the 15th General Assembly of IOTA will be held in France.
In addition, the Executive Council of IOTA was appointed, the Members of which are representatives of the tax administrations of: France (President), Austria, Germany, Hungary, Lithuania, Norway, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
Mr. Harry F.J.M. van Lankveld (the Netherlands) and Ms. Alma Sarapuu (Estonia) were appointed as the Internal Auditors of the Organisation between the 14th and 15th General Assemblies.
The Members accepted the application for full membership to the Organisation by the State Revenue Committee of the Government of the Republic of Armenia and the Federal Tax Service of the Russian Federation with effect from 1 January 2011.
The Members approved the Report on IOTA activities carried out in 2009 and the Financial Report for 2009 as well as the Report of the Internal Auditors for 2009.
The Members amended the membership contribution system of the Organisation and the IOTA Charter by adding new Articles 10.16, 11.15 and 13.2 that became effective on 9 July 2010.
The Members adopted the 2011 budget and Work Programme of the Organisation and selected the professional theme of the 15th General Assembly which will be: "Achieving more with less: The experiences of tax administrations in using innovation and smarter working to continue to operate effectively despite resource constraints".
The participants discussed the professional theme: "New challenges and effects on taxpayer compliance and tax revenues at a time of economic crisis" and approved the Communiqué thereto.
2011
The representatives of 44 Member tax administrations of IOTA met to hold the 15th General Assembly of IOTA in Nice, France on 7-8 July 2011. The Members decided that the tax administration of Norway will hold the 2011/2012 IOTA Presidency, represented by Mr. Svein Ragnar Kristensen, and the 16th General Assembly of IOTA will be held in Norway.
In addition, the Executive Council of IOTA was appointed, the Members of which are representatives of the tax administrations of: Norway (President), Austria, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Slovenia, Spain and Switzerland.
Ms. Catherine Campinchi (France) and Ms. Maria Mitu (Romania) were appointed as the Internal Auditors of the Organisation between the 15th and 16th General Assemblies.
The Members accepted the application for immediate full membership to the Organisation by the Fiscal Authority of Liechtenstein. The Members approved the Report on IOTA activities carried out in 2010 and the Financial Report for 2010 as well as the Report of the Internal Auditors for 2010.
The Members adopted the Budget and Work Programme for 2012 and some components of the new IOTA Strategy (draft) were presented to the Members. The professional theme of the 16th General Assembly will be: “Good Governance – the Way forward for Tax Administrations Moving from Reactive to Proactive Approaches”.
The participants discussed the professional theme: “Achieving More with Less: The Experiences of Tax Administrations in Using Innovation and Smarter Working to Continue to Operate Effectively Despite Resource Constraints” and approved the Communiqué thereto.
Based on the application of the tax administration of Jordan submitted at the end of 2010, its associate membership in IOTA was discontinued in 2011.
Last Updated ( Thursday, 27 October 2011 )
About IOTA
The Intra-European Organisation of Tax Administrations (IOTA), is a non profit intergovernmental Organisation, which provides a forum to assist members in the European Countries to improve tax administrations.
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