IOTA Secretariat
IOTA’s Representatives at the OECD FTA Capacity Building Network Meeting
On May 16-17, 2024, the IOTA Secretariat’s delegation including Alix Perrignon de Troyes, Executive Secretary, and Roman Bichevoy, Strategy & Institutional Development Manager represented IOTA at the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Forum on Tax Administration (FTA) Capacity Building Network Meeting in Paris, France. The event welcomed 20 jurisdictions and 8 international or regional organisations to the prestigious occasion. As a panelist at the event, Mrs Perrignon de Troyes had the opportunity to intervene twice over the two days.
The meeting was designed to enable rich discussions on the FTA’s Capacity Building Network (CBN) members' practices, as well as reflect on the insights of international and regional tax organisations. This included discussions on broader international initiatives that have relevance to the FTA’s capacity-building work.
On the first day of the meeting, amongst other topics a specific item was dedicated to the Perspective of Regional Tax Organisations: Views on the Priorities of Members with presentations by Representatives of Regional Tax Organisations to share their perspectives on the priority issues for their members, gaps in delivery and views on areas for potential collaboration with CBN members.
The Panel Discussion was facilitated by the IOTA’s Alix Perrignon de Troyes with the participation of Esther Koisin, Executive Director, Commonwealth Association of Tax Administrations (CATA); Marcio Verdi, Executive Secretary, Inter-American Center of Tax Administration (CIAT); Kozue Ichiyama, Public Management Specialist, Asian Development Bank (ADB); and Emeka Nwankwo, Acting Senior Manager: Member Services, African Tax Administration Forum (ATAF).
On the second day of the meeting, under the topic of Tax Capacity Building Initiatives on Leadership and Mentoring Mrs Perrignon de Troyes delivered a presentation on VITARA and shared insights on the importance of this joint initiative. VITARA stands for Virtual Training to Advance Revenue Administration and was launched in 2020 to develop a highly effective, globally accessible, on-demand, and free online curriculum on revenue administrative issues. This initiative includes four organisations: IOTA, CIAT, IMF, and the OECD. If you are interested in more about the VITARA Portfolio, please visit the dedicated VITARA page on the new IOTA web portal, where the recently updated portfolio of courses as well as the FAQ document can also be found.
The Capacity Building Network Meeting provided a valuable platform for IOTA representatives to exchange insights and knowledge about the Intra-European Organisation of Tax Administrations. It also facilitated the establishment of closer relationships and potential collaborations with representatives from other regional tax organisations.
The FTA Capacity Building Network is a forum established in 2016 to foster closer collaboration among tax administrations and to coordinate its members’ capacity building efforts in a more cost-effective and strategic way. The Capacity Building Network meets regularly to share knowledge on capacity building issues ranging from resourcing to digitalisation. The FTA’s Capacity Building Network is chaired by HM Revenue and Customs (UK). The Chair is Deborah Lock, Head of the International Relations Team, in the International Relations and Capacity Building Unit.
