CIAT International Cooperation Manager, Isaác, Gonzalo Arias Esteban, participated on March 24 to 26, in the “CIAT/OECD/SHCP of Mexico Seminar on the Establishment and Operation of Information Exchange Offices/Units” which was held in Mexico City.

Participants included experts from OECD, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Costa Rica, Colombia, United States, Spain, Jamaica, Morocco, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay and Uruguay.Issues discussed included legal and procedural aspects, the CIAT and OECD models and manuals for information exchange, factors to be taken into account for organizing and carrying out an effective tax information exchange. Likewise, case studies and experiences on the operation of information exchange offices presented by Brazil, Mexico, Spain and the United States were extensively discussed.

Lastly, the organization of the participants in working teams allowed for discussing the level of development and needs of the countries in relation to key aspects for the effective implementation of tax information exchange such as: processes, regulations, human resources, technologies and quality.

The seminar was a timely event , given that in 2009 the CIAT member countries signed over 97 tax information exchange agreements which must be effectively implemented and this was reflected in the proactive attitude of the participants and their interest in discussing in detail the issues presented.