June 23, 2008 – The National Office of Tax Administration (ONAT) hosted the 12th International Tax Seminar on the main theme of “Tax Control, an Essential Aspect in Enhancing Tax Administration Effectiveness”. The event was chaired by Yolanda Álvarez de la Torre, Head of the Cuban ONAT, with the participation of the Inter-American Center of Tax Administration’s (CIAT) Executive Secretary, who made a presentation on “Strategies to Facilitate Voluntary Compliance and Enhanced Effectiveness in Tax Control”.

The seminar took place at the Palco Hotel from June 17 to 19, 2008 in Havanna, Cuba, and was aimed at promoting a comprehensive discussion on various topics focused on the organization of tax control, the characterization of tax non-compliance, identification of best Tax Administration practices and the promotion of effective human resources management, combined with tax policies to facilitate voluntary compliance and increased equity.

The meeting was attended by 70 delegates from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, Spain, France, Italy, Nicaragua, Panama, the Dominican Republic, Surinam and Venezuela. Also present were representatives from the International Office of Tax Documentation (IBFD) and CIAT.

The opening was conducted by Cuba’s Minister of Finance and Pricing, Georgina Barreiro Fajardo, followed by scheduled interventions, noteworthy among which was the keynote lecture by CIAT’s Executive Secretary, Dr. Claudino Pita, who presented on various key issues facing tax administrations and tax systems currently, in particular in Latin America and the Caribbean. Also on behalf of CIAT were presentations by Director of Operations, Marcio Verdi: “CIAT and the Promotion of Ethics in Tax Administrations”; and by the Head of the French Mission, Marc Amouroux: “Control of the Tax Audit Function in France”.

It is worth noting that the seminar enabled the sharing of relevant practical experiences regarding different ways of organizing the tax control function by type of taxpayer. Furthermore, significant emphasis was placed on recruitment, training, hands-on experience and motivation policies for Tax Administrations’ human resources and, in particular, for officials working in the areas of control which have more direct contact with taxpayers.