This initiative is a new regional program launched by OECD, financed mainly by Spain and with the support of CIAT, its main partner in the region.

The Ministry of Economy and Finance of the Republic of Panama hosted on September 16 and 17, at the Meridien Hotel in the city of Panama, the first meeting of the Latin America and Caribbean Forum on Tax Policy. Speaking at the inaugural ceremony were His Excellency, the Minister of Economy and Finance of Panama, Mr. Alberto Vallarino Clément, Mrs. Grace Perez Navarro, Deputy Director of the Tax Policy and Administration Center and Mr. Jeff Dayton Johnson, Head of the Development Center, both from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Mr. Márcio F. Verdi, Executive Secretary of the Inter-American Center of Tax Administrations (CIAT), and Mr. Bernardo López López – Ríos, Representative from the Embassy of Spain in Panama.

The LAC Forum gathers expert officials from the Ministries of Finance of the greater part of countries from Latin America and the Caribbean. The topics discussed dealt with the role of the tax system in reducing inequality and in the promotion of social cohesion, while the bases were laid for developing a working program that will be focused on the work of the LAC Fiscal Initiative for the future, beginning with the tax policy issues that were identified as priorities by the LAC countries.

The main purpose is to afford the opportunity for the exchange of experiences, to thereby generate feedback that may result in conclusions for improving the tax systems of the region.

Participants included representatives from the Ministries of Finance and/or Tax Administrations of 18 Latin American, Caribbean and European countries, as well as various national and international organizations such as IDB, ECLAC, IEF of Spain, IMF, ICEFI from Guatemala, the Getulio Vargas Foundation of Brazil, USAid, in addition to OECD and CIAT.

OECD is an international organization formed by 33 countries of the Americas, Europe and Asia, and by means of this program it endeavors to provide the countries of the LAC region a forum where they may consider how to improve their tax policies, while sharing the know-how it has been accumulating since its creation, almost fifty years ago.

CIAT, an international organization aimed at strengthening the tax administrations with headquarters in Panama and a strong presence in the LAC region, has 38 member countries from the Americas, Europe, Africa and Asia.

The Second Meeting of the Forum will be held in July 2011.

See: Presentations – Latin America and Caribbean Forum on Tax Policy

From left to right: Mr. Jeff Dayton Johnson, Head of the Development Center, both from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Mr. Márcio F. Verdi, Executive Secretary of the Inter-American Center of Tax Administrations (CIAT), Mr. Alberto Vallarino Clément, Ministry of Economy and Finance of the Republic of Panama, Mrs. Grace Perez Navarro, Deputy Director of the Tax Policy and Administration Center (OECD), Mr. Bernardo López López – Ríos, Representative from the Embassy of Spain in Panama and Mr. Luis Cucalón, Director General of Revenue, General Directorate of Revenues of Panama.		Mr. Jeff Dayton Johnson (OECD), Mr. Márcio F. Verdi (CIAT) and Mr. Alberto Vallarino Clément, Ministry of Economy and Finance of the Republic of Panama.
Sra. Mrs. Grace Perez Navarro (OECD).		Participants of the First Latin America and Caribbean Forum on Tax Policy.