The Webinar on Application of ICT in Tax Administration Processes was jointly organised by the Inter-American Center of Tax Administrations (CIAT) and IOTA and took place on 31st March 2021. The main objective of the event was to share best practices in implementing the latest ICT solutions as well as to cover practical aspects of such projects. Speakers from Brazil, Chile, Norway and Russia presented examples of the application of technologies like Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in their tax administrations. Over 420 participants from 58 countries on both sides of the Atlantic registered for this event.
The welcome addresses of the webinar were delivered by Márcio F. Verdi (Executive Secretary, CIAT) and Eugenijus Soldatkovas (Acting Executive Secretary, IOTA). Mr. Verdi focused on the importance of collaboration of organisations working in the international tax field in order to reduce technological gaps between them. Mr. Soldatkovas spoke about how recent technological advancements have enabled tax administrations to respond to the pandemic crisis improving tax compliance, reducing the cost of operations and making it easier for the taxpayers to comply.
The first presentation of the webinar, jointly delivered by Juliano Brito da Justa Neves and Reriton Weldert Gomes from Brazil, discussed the topic ’The use of blockchain in the taxpayer´s registry process’. Their presentation explained how technology aided them to exchange data of the taxpayer registry with more than 800 partner organisations. In their experience, blockchain solutions proved to be secure, fault-tolerant and non-resource-intensive.
Next, Mattis Weien Grimstad (Norway) discussed a project that was developed with the help of a summer internship for 9 students. The developed algorithms to the Automatic Exchange of Information (AEOI) data helped identifying individuals with foreign wealth. This project did not only apply AI to AEOI data but also helped in finding bright students and introducing the tax authority as an attractive employer.
The presentation from Chile, delivered by Erick Marinkovic Febré, also touched upon the topic of AI, but focused more on AI application to electronic invoice data in order to increase voluntary compliance with tax obligations.
Lastly, Julia Dukhovnova (Russia) gave insights into the distributed register of the Russian Federal Tax Service. The platform was developed using blockchain technology, which is used to approve concessional loans for businesses together with other government institutions and banks. This technology assures a safe environment, consistency and simplicity for members.
The webinar, which welcomed participants from both sides of the Atlantic, concluded with an insightful Q&A session. The presentations and the webinar’s recording are available for IOTA members on the event’s webpage.