The 7th meeting of the Forum on Tax Administration (FTA), which brought together the heads of tax administrations from 43 countries, concluded on 19 January with a commitment to combat offshore tax abuse. The 43 heads of various tax authorities, including Ireland and the UK, agreed a strategy which includes unprecedented sharing and exchange of information and coordinated action to better identify and pursue the promoters and users of abusive offshore schemes.

The FTA also agreed to develop a more constructive relationship between large businesses and tax administrations. The aim is to resolve disputes between large business and the particular tax authority in a more time and financially efficient manner particularly when conducting and resolving transfer pricing cases.

The FTA intends to share best practices within the Forum itself and with developing countries with the objective of improving the quality of tax administration across the world. High quality customer service was recognised as essential to ensure high levels of voluntary compliance.

For full details of the meeting see http://www.oecd.org/document/52/0,3746,en_21571361_44315115_49387124_1_1_1_1,00.html