The BRITACʘM is aimed at facilitating tax administration cooperation and building a growth-friendly tax environment which fully respects the sovereignty, territorial integrity and tax laws of each participating jurisdiction. It consists of the Council, the Secretariat, the BRITACOF, the Belt and Road Initiative Tax Administration Capacity Enhancement Group (BRITACEG), and the Advisory Board. At the opening ceremony of the first BRITACOF Conference, 34 tax administrations or finance departments signed up to be the Members of the BRITACʘM Council, 22 tax administrations or finance departments including those from the G7 countries as well as international organizations signed up to be the Observers, 19 finance departments or tax administrations signed up to be the BRITACEG Members, and 14 finance departments or tax administrations, international organizations and academic institutions signed up to be the BRITACEG Partners. In addition, 11 world-recognized tax experts signed up to be the Members of the Advisory Board. The diversity of jurisdictions and expertise enriched the discussions of the BRITACʘM.

 

On the basis of extensive consultation and transparent procedures that are in line with the relevant provisions of the Memorandum of Understanding on the establishment of the BRITACʘM signed by the above parties, Mr. WANG Jun, Commissioner of the State Taxation Administration of the People’s Republic of China (STA), was appointed as Chair of the Council. To assist Mr. WANG Jun in fulfilling the vision of the BRITACʘM, Mr. Marat Sultangaziyev, Chairman of State Revenue Committee of the Ministry of Finance, Republic of Kazakhstan; Ms. Tuma Adama Jabbi, Chairperson of National Revenue Authority, Republic of Sierra Leone; Mr. Khalid Ali Albustani, Director General of the Federal Tax Authority, United Arab Emirates and Mr. Joaquin Serra, Director General of Dirección General Impositiva, Oriental Republic of Uruguay were elected as Vice Chairs of the Council. Mr. LIAO Tizhong, Director General of the International Taxation Department of the STA, and Mr. Yermek Kozhabergenov, Head of the International Relations Division, State Revenues Committee of the Ministry of Finance, the Republic of Kazakhstan, were appointed as Executive Secretary and Deputy Executive Secretary of the Secretariat. Mr. Anatoliy Aleksandrov, Director of the Strategic Development and International Cooperation Department, the State Fiscal Service of Ukraine, was appointed as Director of the BRITACEG.

 

The BRITACʘM Council also approved that 4 Belt and Road Initiative Tax Academies (BRITA) have been set up in Kazakhstan, the Macau Special Administrative Region of China and the Mainland of China as regional hubs to enhance tax capacity of the Member and Observer Tax Administrations. It is foreseen that other regional BRITAs will be established in the future.

 

Featuring win-win cooperation, inclusiveness and mutual learning, the BRITACʘM is in line with the fundamental interests of the jurisdictions along the Belt and Road in removing tax obstacles to cross-border trade and investment and boosting sustainable and inclusive growth. The BRITACʘM will enrich multilateral tax administration cooperation mechanisms and reinforce the prevailing international tax standards, responding to the call of G20 leaders for a fair, transparent and modern tax system and ultimately contributing to the fulfillment of inclusive and sustainable development as set out in the United Nation’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.