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Monday, 14 March 2005
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18.30
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Pre-conference Reception (Hotel Cicerone)
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Tuesday, 15 March 2005
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09.00
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Opening Welcome Ceremony (Salone Delle Feste)
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- Welcome Address by Prof. Domenico Siniscalco, Minister of Economy & Finance - Italy
- Welcome Address by ITD Representative – Mr. Danny M. Leipziger, Vice President, Poverty Reduction and Economic Management - World Bank
- Emerging Challenges and Prospects – High Level Panel
Chair: Mr. Donald J. Johnston (Secretary-General - OECD)
Panel: Mr. Francisco Gil-Díaz (Minister of Finance - Mexico),
Mr. Pravin Gordhan (Tax Commissioner, South African Revenue Service),
Mr. Lászlo Kovács (Commissioner for Taxation – European Commission) and
Mrs. Teresa Ter-Minassian (Director, Fiscal Affairs Department – IMF)
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10.30
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Coffee Break
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11.00
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Plenary Session 1: Overview (Salone Delle Feste)
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- Broad Assessment of Spread of, and Experience with, VAT - Mr. Michael Keen (Head, Tax Policy Division Fiscal Affairs Department - IMF)
- Recent Policy and Administration Developments in VAT/GST - Mr. Jeffrey Owens (Director, OECD Centre for Tax Policy and Administration)
- VAT Implementation Issues for Developing Countries and Transition Economies - Prof. Richard Bird (World Bank Consultant, Professor Emeritus of Economics at the University of Toronto and Adjunct Professor and Director of the International Tax Program)
Plenary Session 1 Presentation
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12.30
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Lunch
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14.00
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Parallel Discussion Session 1
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Tax Policy (Salone Delle Feste)
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Tax Administration (Salone Veneziano)
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Treatment of Financial Services
Chair: Mr. William McCarten - (Senior Economist - World Bank Institute)
Presenter: Ms. Marie Pallot (Portfolio Manager, Policy Advice Division, Inland Revenue Department - New Zealand)
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Measuring and Reducing Administrative Costs and Tax Compliance Costs
Chair: Mr. Neil Mann (Deputy Commissioner of Taxation, Taxation Office - Australia)
Presenter: Prof. John Hasseldine (Co-Director, Nottingham University Tax Research Institute - United Kingdom)
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15.00
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Coffee Break
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15.30
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Parallel Discussion Session 2
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Tax Policy (Salone Delle Feste)
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Tax Administration (Salone Veneziano)
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Special Topics, including:
VAT in island economies
Equity impact of the VAT
Chair: Mr. Michael Keen (Head, Tax Policy Division Fiscal Affairs Department – IMF)
Presenter: Ms. Annette Weekes (Director Value Added Tax, Ministry of Finance – Barbados)
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International Exchange of Information
Chair: Mr. David Holmes (Head, Consumption Taxes Unit - OECD)
Presenter: Mr. Donato Raponi (Head of Unit, Administrative Cooperation and Fight Against Fiscal Fraud - European Commission)
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16.30
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Parallel Discussion Session 3
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Tax Policy (Salone Delle Feste)
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Tax Administration (Salone Veneziano)
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Application of VAT to the Public Sector
Chair: Mr. Alexander Wiedow (Director, Indirect Taxation and Tax Administration, European Commission)
Presenter: Mr. Satya Poddar (National Director, Tax Policy Services, Ernst & Young)
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Implementing VAT - Problems and Experiences
Chair: Prof. Richard Bird (Professor Emeritus of Economics at the University of Toronto and Adjunct Professor and Director of the International Tax Program)
Presenter: Mr. Juan Toro (Director General, Internal Revenue Service - Chile)
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Wednesday, 16 March 2005
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9.00
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Parallel Discussion Session 4
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Tax Policy (Salone Delle Feste)
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Tax Administration (Salone Veneziano)
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International Services and E-Commerce
Chair: Mr. Arthur Kerrigan (Acting Head of VAT and Other Turnover Taxes, DG Taxation and Customs Union - European Commission)
Presenter: Prof. Steve Smith (Professor, Value Added Tax Policy: International services and E-Commerce Department of Economics, University College London - United Kingdom)
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VAT Fraud and Control of Refunds and Credits
Chair: Mr. Richard Highfield (Head, Tax Administration and Consumption Taxes Division - OECD)
Presenter: Mr. Andy Leggett (Head of the VAT Strategy Team, Tax Strategies Division, Strategy Unit, HM Customs and Excise - United Kingdom)
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10.00
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Parallel Discussion Session 5
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Tax Policy (Salone Delle Feste)
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Tax Administration (Salone Veneziano)
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Application of VAT/GST to International Aid
Chair: Mr. Jean-Paul Bodin (Chief, Revenue Administration 1, Fiscal Affairs Department - IMF)
Presenter: Prof. Gérard Chambas (Professor VAT and foreign financed assistance - France)
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Risk Assessment and Audit Methods
Chair: Mr. Bjarne Hope (Director General, Directorate of Taxes - Norway)
Presenter: Mr. Jacek Rybarczyk (Senior Specialist Ministry of Finance - Poland)
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11.00
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Coffee Break
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11.30
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Plenary Session II – Small and Medium Sized Businesses (Salone Delle Feste)
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Specific Needs and Problems of Small and Medium Sized Businesses
Chair: Prof. Fabrizia Lapecorella (International Relations Office, Tax Policy Department Ministry of Economy and Finance – Italy)
Presenter: Mr. Placidus J. Luoga (Deputy Commissioner General - Tanzania), Mr. David Holmes (Head, Consumption Taxes Unit - OECD)
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12.30
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Lunch
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14.00
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Plenary Session III – Federations and Regional Trading Blocs (Salone Delle Feste)
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Designing and Managing VAT in Federations and Regional Trading Blocs
Chair: Mr. Rainer Nowak (Senior Chief, Operations, Department of Finance – Canada)
Presenter: Mr. Stephen Bill (Tax Commissioner’s Cabinet - European Commission), Mr. Alberto Barreix (Trade & Integration Economist, Integration and Regional Programs Department - Inter-American Development Bank)
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15.00
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Coffee Break
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15.30
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Plenary Session IV – The Way Forward (Salone Delle Feste)
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Panel Discussion followed by Open Discussion – Future Challenges and the Way Ahead (including the role of the ITD)
Overall Summary: Prof. Richard Bird (Professor Emeritus of Economics at the University of Toronto and Adjunct Professor and Director of the International Tax Program)
Panel: Mr. Neil Mann, Deputy Commissioner of Taxation, Goods and Services Tax, Taxation Office - Australia, Mr. Jorge Cosulich Ayala (Executive Secretary, Inter-American Center of Tax Administrations), Mr. Shi Yaobin (Director General of Tax Policy Department, Ministry of Finance – China), Mr Cecil Morden (Director, Indirect Tax, National Treasury – South Africa)
Open Discussion
Closing Remarks: Mrs. Teresa Ter-Minassian (Director, Fiscal Affairs Department – IMF), Mr. William McCarten Senior Economist - World Bank Institute) and Mr. Jeffrey Owens (Director, OECD Centre for Tax Policy and Administration)
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17.15
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Close of Conference
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