The second meeting of the International Tax Compact Core Group was held on February 23, 2011 in Brussels, Belgium. It was sponsored by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, the French Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation and the European Commission. Its purpose was to give continuity to the ITC works initiated in 2010, strengthen the cooperation commitments acquired by the members of the Core Group and explore specific cooperation possibilities, especially at the country level and within the framework the tax and international development agenda.

On this occasion, the CIAT Director of International Assistance and Cooperation, Mr. Socorro Velazquez, discussed the development and results of the first cooperation activity organized by CIAT, GIZ, CAPTAC-RD and OTA US Treasury in El Salvador, within the framework of ITC, in order to strengthen the capabilities of the tax administrations of the Central American region. As a result of this activity, a meeting was held at the World Bank headquarters in Washington, last January to coordinate technical assistance in tax policy and administration in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The Core Group meeting successfully achieved its objectives, thanks to the active participation of representatives from France, Germany, The Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, the African Tax Administration Forum (ATAF), the European Commission (EC), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the United Nations Organization (UNO) and as observer, the International Development Law Organization (IDLO).

Upon conclusion of the Core Group meeting, the ITC Secretariat and European Commission invited the Core Group members to the presentation of the Initial Report on the “Transfer Pricing and developing countries” study currently in process, as well as to exchange information on the activities currently being carried out by the members in relation to the control of abusive manipulation of transfer prices.

In the picture: Participants of the International Tax Compact Core Group meeting