Chief Secretary commits UK support to help Pakistan raise more tax
3 Apr 2014 11:21 AM
Chief Secretary
supportive of a commitment Pakistan has made to increase tax collection rates,
as he welcomes delegates to the UK.
Chief Secretary to the Treasury
Danny Alexander has committed UK support to help Pakistan raise more
tax.
The commitment was made as he
welcomed Tariq Bajwa, Chairman of thePakistan
Federal Board of Revenue, along with his group of delegates, on a visit to
the UK.
The Chief Secretary was
supportive of the commitment Pakistan has made to increase their tax collection
rates to 15% of GDP by 2018, and confirmed that the UK would work with Pakistan
in this aim and continue to deliver on its own commitment to assist developing
countries build sustainable sources of revenue and tax
regimes.
The meeting formed part of a
three day visit by the delegation to discuss opportunities and priorities for
future cooperation between HMRC and the Pakistan Federal Board of
Revenue.
The UK government is committed
to supporting developing countries in their efforts to collect the taxes they
are due. This is about providing expertise and enabling developing countries to
establish sustainable tax regimes that can provide reliable long-term sources
of revenue.
The Chief Secretary
said:
The UK put tax and transparency
at the heart of the agenda during our G8 presidency last year. I am pleased
that we continue to deliver on our Lough Erne commitment to provide practical
support to help developing countries collect the taxes that are owed to
them.
We look forward to supporting
Pakistan in its efforts to achieve its ambitious tax collection
target.
The UK put tax and transparency
at the heart of the agenda during its G8
Presidency last year.
Ahead of the G8 summit the UK
held its 3Ts event on Tax, Trade and Transparency to create political momentum
on the 3Ts, stimulate public interest and debate, and generate commitments from
developing countries, international organisations, corporates and NGOs. The
Chief Secretary chaired a panel event on tax as part of the series to raise
awareness of the tax agenda.
At Lough Erne the UK, along with
the rest of the G8, committed
to provide ongoing practical support.
As part of delivering on this
commitment, the government has set up a new Developing Countries Capacity
Building Unit through a partnership between the Department
for International Development and HMRC.
The new unit will provide
expertise and assistance, including on the ground through both long term and
short term missions, to help deliver long-term support to revenue authorities
in developing countries. Pakistan is one of four countries, along with
Ethiopia, Tanzania and South Africa that are long-term partners of the new
Unit. This is the first meeting establishing the partnership.