A seminar on Optimizing Business Environment and Improving Taxpayer Service was successfully held by BRITA • Beijing. The seminar, conducted in a hybrid format, gathered over 20 tax and fiscal officials from eight BRI jurisdictions — Georgia, Hungary, Macao China, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Uzbekistan.

To accommodate the diverse linguistic backgrounds of participants, the seminar was delivered primarily in Chinese and English, with additional interpretation support in French and Russian. This seminar combined theoretical instruction with case studies and practical exercises centred on tax business environment reform and taxpayer service enhancement. It provided valuable insights into effective practices in these areas, offering guidance for improving tax administration and service capabilities.

The 10th Tax Administration Theme Day Event (for Portuguese-Speaking Jurisdictions) wrapped up successfully on 16 October 2025. Held in a hybrid format, with both on-site proceedings at Hengqin-the Guangdong-Macao In-depth Cooperation Zone and global online participation, the event was co-organized by the BRITACOM Secretariat, the State Taxation Administration of China (STA) and the Financial Services Bureau (DSF) of Macao China.

The event introduced tax policies, tax administration practices, and taxpayer services of Portuguese-speaking jurisdictions and China, aiming to establish a direct tax-business communication channel for enterprises investing in the Portuguese-speaking jurisdictions and China.

An in-person training programme on "Tax Transparency and Information Exchange" was successfully held by BRITA • Macao from 13 to 24 October 2025. The programme gathered 18 participants from nine jurisdictions, namely Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Portugal, São Tomé and Príncipe, and Timor-Leste.

This training programme is specifically designed for Portuguese-speaking jurisdictions. In addition to theoretical instruction, the curriculum incorporated case studies and practical exercises focusing on the implementation of international standards on tax transparency and information exchange. The session provided in-depth insights into effective practices in these areas, offering valuable guidance for enhancing cross-border tax cooperation and compliance capacity.

The Tax Administration Product Portfolio (Version 1.0) and the Taxpayer Service Product Portfolio (Version 1.0) were officially released during the 6th BRITACOF. The Tax Administration Product Portfolio is an integration of various products including tax collection, management, and supervision activities of BRI jurisdictions. The Taxpayer Service Product Portfolio follows the logic of promoting tax compliance through taxpayer services. These portfolios aim to provide a professional platform for exchange and mutual learning, enhance tax administration and service capabilities, optimize the tax business environment, and foster further progress in tax cooperation under the BRI.

The BRITACOM Tax Policy Library on the official website of the BRITACOM has been further upgraded, with overviews of tax systems and current tax frameworks from 38 BRITACOM Council Member Tax Administrations and several Observers newly added or updated.

This library aims to help all parties quickly understand the tax systems, administration frameworks, taxpayer service initiatives, and preferential policies of BRI jurisdictions, enhance the accuracy of tax policies, and promote trade liberalization and investment facilitation in BRI jurisdictions.

The 6th Belt and Road Initiative Tax Administration Cooperation Forum (BRITACOF), themed "Shared Progress in Taxpayer Service for a Better Business Environment", was successfully held in Kathmandu, Nepal from 9 to 11 September 2025. The event brought together more than 400 participants, including heads and deputy heads of tax administrations from 45 tax jurisdictions, as well as representatives and experts from 13 international organizations and many renowned enterprises, both physically and virtually.

Hosted by the Inland Revenue Department of Nepal, the three-day event included Council Meetings and Plenary Sessions. Participants engaged in in-depth exchanges on topics such as tax administration product portfolio, taxpayer service product portfolio, tax rule of law governance, tax administration transparency, tax and fee payment services, and digital technology application. The forum concluded with the announcement of eight key outcomes, marking another step forward in strengthening international tax cooperation.

During the 6th BRITACOF, the National Tax and Customs Administration of Hungary was approved to join the BRITACOM as a Council Member Tax Administration. With this addition, BRITACOM now has 38 Member Tax Administrations and 30 Observers, establishing itself as an important multilateral tax cooperation platform in the international tax arena.

A training program on "Tax Convention" was successfully held by BRITA • Astana from 12 to 13 August 2025. The training was conducted online, with a total of 230 participants from Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Iran, Indonesia, Russia, Nigeria, and Uzbekistan.

To accommodate participants' diverse linguistic backgrounds, the training was conducted entirely in English with multilingual simultaneous interpretation provided. Beyond theoretical lectures, the curriculum featured case studies and practical interpretations of tax treaty provisions. This session offered in-depth insights into the application and management of tax treaties, delivering valuable guidance for enhancing international tax cooperation.

On 26 June 2025, the Belt and Road Initiative Tax Administration Cooperation Mechanism (BRITACOM) Expert Virtual Roundtable on the Tax Administration Product Portfolio and Taxpayer Service Product Portfolio was successfully convened, bringing together more than 150 participants worldwide.

Esteemed members of the BRITACOM Advisory Board and renowned experts in the field were invited to share their valuable experiences and insights on tax administration and taxpayer services. They also provided thoughtful comments on the two product portfolios. Representatives from Member Tax Administrations and Observers were encouraged to actively engage in the discussions and interactions, fostering a dynamic and engaging dialogue throughout the session.

A seminar on "Tax Administration and Digitalization" was successfully held by BRITA·Yangzhou from 18 to 24 May 2025. The seminar was conducted in a hybrid format, with 27 attendees on-site and nearly 200 participants online. The 27 attendees are from 12 jurisdictions - Cambodia, Georgia, Hong Kong SAR of China, Hungary, Maldives, Mongolia, Morocco, Nepal, Saudi Arabia, Sierra Leone, Thailand and Uzbekistan. With most of the lectures in Chinese, BRITA·Yangzhou arranged English and French interpretation and BRITA·Astana provided Russian interpretation online. Besides lectures, visits to the Jiangsu Smart Taxation Experience Center and the taxpayer service hall of Guangling District, Yangzhou City were also organized. The seminar provided an in-depth understanding of the intersection between tax administration and digital technologies, offering practical insights and strategies for implementation.

On 15 May 2025, the 9th Tax Administration Theme Day Event was co-hosted by the IRD of Nepal, the STA of China and the BRITACOM Secretariat in a hybrid format. The event introduced tax policies, tax administration practices, and taxpayer services of both countries, aiming to establish a direct tax-enterprise communication channel for enterprises investing in Nepal and China.

From 13 to 16 May 2025, the BRITACOM Secretariat visited Nepal to lay the groundwork for the upcoming Sixth BRITACOF. During the visit, the delegation held meetings with colleagues of Inland Revenue Department (IRD) of Nepal to discuss logistical arrangements, finalized key agenda items, and conducted on-site inspections of the proposed forum venue. The activities aimed to ensure the smooth organization of the Sixth BRITACOF, scheduled to take place in Nepal on 9-11 September 2025, while strengthening collaborative efforts between the two sides.

From 13 to 23 May, BRITA·Macao hosted a seminar on transfer pricing and 18 tax officials from nine Portuguese-speaking countries (namely Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Portugal, Sao Tome and Principe, and Timor-Leste) participated in it. During the seminar, the participants studied knowledge related to transfer pricing and corporate restructuring. Through theoretical learning, case analysis, and classroom discussions, they grasped the latest developments and key points in the field of international taxation. In addition, from 15 to 16 May, the participants visited tax offices as well as the Huawei Base in Shenzhen, China. According to the participants, the seminar met practical needs and they benefitted a lot from it.

From 11 to 15 May, BRITA·Riyadh held workshops on VAT in the financial sector and cross-border tax disputes. The primary objective of the workshops was to equip the participants with a clear understanding of VAT principles, compliance requirements as well as the regulatory and operational landscape of the banking sector in Saudi Arabia. Besides participants from Saudi Arabia, the workshops were also attended by participants from the Gulf Cooperation Council, including Qatar, Oman and the United Arab Emirates. Through the workshops, the participants' ability to navigate VAT regulations has been effectively improved.

To enhance the role of the Belt and Road Initiative Tax Journal, a new column entitled "BRI Tax Journal Preview" has been launched on the homepage of the BRITACOM website, allowing users to access selected articles of the journal in advance prior to official publication. Sections of the website have also been continuously updated and optimized to display work progress of the BRITACOM and keep relevant parties updated. In addition, a new column titled "Videos and Photos" has been added under the section of BRITACEG, which features videos and photos of all training programs and on-site teaching activities in China from 2023 to 2024, showcasing wonderful moments and beautiful memories of the training programs.

The Hong Kong Action Plan (2025-2027) outlines the task schedule for the BRITACOM from 2025 to 2027, defines key areas of work, and establishes an implementation framework. Under the Action Plan, four task forces have been set up, focusing on raising tax certainty, promoting digital transformation of tax administration, improving tax environment, and reinforcing capacity building of tax administration. Regarding Chairs of the task forces, Macao SAR of China will take on this role for the task force on raising tax certainty; Kazakhstan will continue to be Chair for the task force on promoting digital transformation of tax administration; Cambodia will continue to chair the task force on improving tax environment; and China will continue to chair the task force on reinforcing capacity building.

During the BRITACOM Council Meeting in Beijing, the Federation of German Industries (BDI) was reviewed and approved to join the BRITACOM as an Observer. This milestone brings BRITACOM's Member Tax Administrations to 37, and Observers to 31, further strengthening its global network. Christian Kaeser, Chair of Tax Commission of the BDI delivered remarks, acknowledging the influence of BRITACOM in promoting global trade and tax certainty. This move underscores the BRITACOM's growing influence and its commitment to expanding its network of partners.

ITA·Beijing on 24-25 April 2025. Over the two days, senior tax officials from more than 20 jurisdictions, along with representatives from international organizations and academia, engaged in in-depth discussions either on-site or online on strategies for enhancing international tax cooperation and promoting global economic governance. During the meeting, participants conducted thorough deliberations on the progress of BRITACOM and its future work plans. The delegates from the State Taxation Administration (STA) of China introduced the Tax Administration and Taxpayer Service Product Portfolios and delegates from 16 different jurisdictions shared the experience either on Tax Administration or Taxpayer Service. The meeting also addressed the development of the BRITACEG and their experiences and future plans.

To implement the Hong Kong Action Plan (2025-2027) and advance the construction of the tax policy library of BRI jurisdictions, we have invited 37 Member Tax Administrations to verify, supplement, and update the library. So far, the relevant content from 14 jurisdictions has been released on the website of the BRITACOM. This library aims to help all parties quickly understand the tax systems, administration frameworks, taxpayer service initiatives, and preferential policies of BRI jurisdictions, enhance the accuracy of tax policies, and promote trade liberalization and investment facilitation in BRI jurisdictions.

Videos of the Fifth Belt and Road Initiative Tax Administration Cooperation Forum (BRITACOF) have been uploaded to the BRITACOM website (www.britacom.org). Each video features six language options — Chinese, English, French, Spanish, Arabic, and Russian — allowing viewers to select their preferred language for an optimal viewing experience. The videos cover the opening ceremony, closing ceremony, business and industry tax dialogue as well as main sessions of the Fifth BRITACOF.

As of December 2024, the Belt and Road Initiative Tax Administration Capacity Enhancement Group (BRITACEG) experts have reviewed and enhanced all 65 courses within the curriculum system, which includes 4 themes, 8 topics, and 27 sub-topics. Furthermore, 6 Belt and Road Initiative Tax Academies (BRITAs) have been established, covering 6 languages: English, Chinese, Russian, Arabic, French, and Portuguese. Over 150 hybrid (online and on-site) training sessions have been conducted to date, attracting a cumulative total of 6,000 participants from more than 120 jurisdictions.

The seventh Theme Day Event of the BRITACOM from Mid-May to Mid-June, focusing on Tajikistan’s tax policies, tax administration, taxpayer services, and tax incentives for attracting investment and optimizing business environment, is co-hosted by the Tax Committee under the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan and the BRITACOM Secretariat. The virtual seminar of the event was held on 29 May 2024 with speakers sharing their views and practices on the above-mentioned topics, attended by representatives from the BRITACOM Council Member Tax Administrations, Observers, the Advisory Board, and the businesses. More information about the theme day event could be found on the dedicated webpage of the BRITACOM website (https://www.britacom.org/zt/ThemeDay/SeventhEVENT/).

The Task Force Meeting on Raising Tax Certainty was held on 28 March 2024.  The co-chairs and members of Raising Tax Certainty Task Force, and the BRITACOM Secretariat attended the meeting. The Virtual Seminar on Raising Tax Certainty was preceded by the Task Force Meeting, attracting more than 260 representatives from BRITACOM Member Tax Administrations, Observers, the Advisory Board and the businesses from over 20 jurisdictions.

The Task Force Meeting and the Virtual Seminar on Raising Tax Certainty facilitated the sharing of best practices among BRITACOM parties, helped to improve the outcome of the Raising Tax Certainty Task Force, which will be re-leased at the fifth BRITACOF, and contribute to the building of a growth-friendly tax environment.

The Third Belt and Road Initiative Tax Administration Cooperation Forum (the Third BRITACOF) themed “Enhancing Tax Administration Capacity Building in the Post-Pandemic Era” was held on 19-21 September 2022. Nearly 300 delegates, including heads of ministries of finance and tax authorities from 40 jurisdictions and representatives from 12 international organizations, attended this event either onsite in Algiers or online.

The Third BRITACOF was hosted by the General Directorate of Taxes of Algeria, aiming to build a growth-friendly tax environment, enhance tax administration capacity building in the post-pandemic era, promote tax administration in the Belt and Road Initiative jurisdictions, and facilitate global economic recovery with taxation functions. Six outcomes were released during the Third BRITACOF, including the Joint Statement of the Third BRITACOF, the BRITACEG curriculum system, the establishment of the BRITACEG Expert Group, the construction of the Belt and Road Initiative Tax Academies network, the Rules and Regulations on the BRITACEG, and the Annual Report of the BRITACOM (2022).

According to the Nur-Sultan Action Plan (2022-2024), three theme day events were held in 2022 with the theme of “Better Connection for a Better Future” to build a platform for communication between tax administrations and businesses and improve the doing business environment. Each theme day event lasts for around one month, and consists of a virtual seminar, an online exhibition, and an interactive Q&A module. The first theme day event was held from mid-June to mid-July 2022.

From April to November 2022, the Belt and Road Initiative Tax Administration Capacity Enhancement Group (BRITACEG) cooperated with China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA) to launch a series of online courses, covering topics of VAT reform, tax dispute resolution, taxpayer service and business environment, the use of information technologies in tax administration, etc. More than 100 tax officials from tax and finance departments of over 20 jurisdictions have participated in these programs.

A virtual meeting between General Directorate of Taxes of Algeria and the BRITACOM Secretariat was held on 23 December 2021 to discuss the 3rd BRITACOF. With the confirmation of both sides, the 3rd BRITACOF with the theme of Enhancing Tax Administration Capacity Building in the Post-Pandemic Era is to be held on 19-21 September 2022. General Directorate of Taxes of Algeria will host the 3rd BRITACOF in a hybrid way both in Algiers, Algeria and online.

The Belt and Road Initiative Tax Administration Capacity Enhancement Group (BRITACEG) is planning courses on tax dispute resolution, digitalization of tax administration, taxpayer service, and VAT reform. The Secretariat is planning to design these courses in three tiers for tax officials with different seniority and backgrounds. The elementary level, presented via online programs, is best suited for tax officials with rudimentary experience; the intermediate level fits officials who are moderately experienced in the field and is delivered in the form of online lectures and case studies; and the advanced level is for veterans and is taught on-site with lectures, seminars and group discussions. Since October 2021, the elementary level courses on tax dispute resolution and digitalization of tax administration have been opened to all BRITACOM parties, and the elementary level courses on the other two topics will be available online by the end of this December.

The virtual seminars on Resolution of Tax Disputes and Digital Transformation of Tax Administrations were held on 15 October 2021 and 16 December 2021 respectively. Representatives from the BRITACOM council member tax administrations, observers, members of the advisory board, and business attended the meeting. All participants and speakers contributed to this informative and engaging event.

The virtual course on Tax Service was held from 14 June to 31 October 2021, mainly covering the art of tax administration, country practices of tax services, etc. with the total duration of 5 hours. Nearly 160 tax officials from 14 jurisdictions attended this course.

The Third BRITACOF will be hosted by the Algerian Directorate-General of Taxes of the Ministry of Finance. Mrs. Amel Abdelatif, Director General of Taxes of Algeria extended her appreciation to the BRITACOM, stressed the importance of tax digitalization, introduced measures taken by the Algerian tax authority in this aspect, and invited participants to attend the Third BRITACOF in Algeria during the closing ceremony of the Second BRITACOF on 9 September 2021.

The Second BRITACOF themed “Digitalization of Tax Administration” was convened virtually on 7-9 September, attracting heads and representatives of tax authorities from 61 jurisdictions including China, Kazakhstan, Algeria, UAE, Uruguay, Sierra Leone, Singapore, and Russia, and heads of 12 international organizations, as well as representatives from the academia and the business.

The three-day event, hosted by the State Revenue Committee of the Ministry of Finance of Kazakhstan, features 4 topics, namely, Tax Administration Digitalization, Tax Service Digitalization, New Technologies in Taxation, and Tax-Related Data Governance. It aims to facilitate the establishment of a growth-friendly tax environment, open a new chapter of digitalized tax administration in the information age, promote taxation development against the backdrop of the BRI, and contribute to the global economic recovery through sound development of the BRITACOM and enhanced capacity of tax administration.

Four outcomes were released during the BRITACOF, namely, the Joint Statement of the Second Belt and Road Initiative Tax Administration Cooperation Forum, the Nur-Sultan Action Plan (2022-2024), the Annual Report of the Belt and Road Initiative Tax Administration Cooperation Mechanism (2021), and the Final Reports of Five Task Forces of the Wuzhen Action Plan (2019-2021).

During the Council Meeting on 7 September, Mr. Ali Altynbayev, Chairman of the State Revenue Committee of the Ministry of Finance of Kazakhstan, was appointed as the BRITACOM Council Chair. Mr. Khalid Ali Albustani, Director General of the Federal Tax Authority of the United Arab Emirates, Ms. Margarita Faral, Director General of Dirección General Impositivaof Uruguay, Mr. Paata Kiladze, Deputy Head of the Revenue Service LEPL of the Ministry of Finance of Georgia, and Ms. Tuma Adama Jabbi, Chairperson of National Revenue Authority of Sierra Leone were elected BRITACOM Council Vice-Chairs.

From 28 July to 2 August 2021, a string of virtual Task Force meetings of the BRITACOM were successfully held online to discuss the work progress of the final reports of the five Task Forces established at the First BRITACOF, with a variety of views obtained from relevant parties and next steps proposed.

Chairs of five Task Forces hosted the meetings and updated participants on the progress of drafting the final reports on Enhancing Tax Administration Capacity, Expediting Tax Dispute Resolution, Following Rule of Law and Raising Tax Certainty, Digitalization of Tax Administration, and Streamlining Tax Compliance. Members of the Task Forces and Advisory Board expressed views on how to improve the final reports, proposed effective solutions to practical difficulties and measures to further task force work, and reached broad consensus on the next steps.

BRITA·Yangzhou uploaded a video course on Expediting Tax Dispute Resolution, which was accessible to tax officials of BRITACOM Member Tax Administrations and Observers from 11 January to 11 July 2021. Over 300 tax officials from 22 jurisdictions have joined the course.

The Virtual Seminar on Tax Treaty was held on 24 June 2021. Representatives from BRITACOM Council Member Tax Administrations, Observers, members of the Advisory Board, and business attended the seminar. Four presenters shared the practices in their jurisdictions and researches on tax treaty, triggering discussions and reflections among participants. The BRITACOM will organize more seminars to facilitate communication among the BRITACOM parties, forge consensus, and enhance cooperation to build a growth-friendly tax environment.

A virtual meeting between BRITACOM and State Revenue Committee of Kazakhstan (SRC), host of the Second Belt and Road Initiative Tax Administration Cooperation Forum (BRITACOF), was held on 21 April to discuss the logistics of the forum. Considering the global pandemic situation, the two sides decided to hold the Second BRITACOF in September 2021 online.

The third and the last seminar of the seminar series focusing on tax administration digitalization themed Tax-related Data Governance and Application, was held virtually on 8 April 2021. BRITACOM parties exchanged experiences and views on data governance and application, highlighting the importance of data in supporting the administration of tax authorities. With the valuable sharing of keynote speakers and active engagement of all participants, the seminar contributed substantive content to this important topic.

The follow-up meeting of the seminar on Tax-related Data Governance and Application was held on 15 April 2021. Representatives from BRITACOM Council Member Tax Administrations and Observers attended the meeting. The close of this seminar marked the end of the virtual seminar series featuring tax administration digitalization.

BRITACOM co-hosted a virtual course with the IMF and the State Taxation Administration of China on Current International Issues in Tax Law Design on 15-17 March 2021. The course covered several topics such as COVID-19 and Tax Law Design, Corporate Taxation in the Global Economy, and Taxation of Foreign Direct Investment, which was very well received by 30 participants from 13 jurisdictions.

The High-level Virtual Conference featuring New Challenges, New Opportunities, and Future: Development Planning of Tax Digitalization in the Context of the Global Pandemic was held on 15 December 2020, participated by representatives from BRITACOM Member Tax Administrations, Observers, Advisory Board, international organizations and businesses. Participants shared experiences of making development planning of tax digitalization, introduced the digitalization technologies of taxpayer service, and exchanged views on how tax digitalization could serve state governance and thus stressed the importance of international cooperation.

BRITA·Macao held a video course on Prevention and Resolution of Cross-Border Tax Disputes during November 2020 and January 2021 among Portuguese-speaking jurisdictions attended by 71 tax officials from 7 jurisdictions. This course introduced the existing mechanisms to prevent and resolve international tax disputes and the implementation and application in domestic legislation.

In October 2020, the Belt and Road Initiative Tax Academy (BRITA) in Nursultan held a virtual course on Transfer Pricing 2.0 with the participation of over 30 representatives from tax administrations and international organizations. A virtual course with the theme of Implementation and Discussion of BEPS Steps was held in December 2020 participated by 60 officials from various jurisdictions.

Due to the outbreak of COVID-19, international travel and on-site training events were suspended. To cushion the impact of the virus, the Belt and Road Initiative Tax Administration Capacity Enhancement Group (BRITACEG) delivered five online training programs from July to October 2020 for more than 350 participants from 31 BRI jurisdictions, featuring Large Business Management, Risk Management, Country-by-Country Reporting, Tax Treaties and Training for Trainers respectively.

Since the establishment of the BRITACOM in April 2019, two more Member Tax Administrations and eight more Observers have joined the BRITACOM by completing related processes based on the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the Establishment of the BRITACOM. So far, there have been 36 Member Tax Administrations and 30 Observers spanning from Asia to Africa, Europe, America, and Oceania, working together on tax matters for removing barriers to cross-border trade and investment, boosting coordinated regional development, and inclusive growth in the context of economic globalization.

Since the virtual meeting featuring Responding to COVID-19: BRITACOM Perspective on 2 June 2020, the BRITACOM Secretariat has hosted a series of virtual events, which provide the BRITACOM parties more opportunities to exchange views and share experiences in such challenging times. Considering the theme of the Second Belt and Road Initiative Tax Administration Cooperation Forum (BRITACOF) and the significance of tax digitalization, especially in the fight against COVID-19, the BRITACOM Secretariat has held three working-level seminars featuring tax digitalization. As part of the virtual seminar series, Seminar 1 and Seminar 2 (each seminar includes one working level seminar plus one follow-up meeting), with the theme of Business Continuity in Response to COVID-19 and Service and Administration of VAT in Digital Time, took place from 30 July to 22 October 2020. Representatives from BRITACOM Member Tax Administrations, Observers, Advisory Board, international organizations, and businesses attended the seminars. Participants exchanged views on digitalization in the areas of tax consultation, tax publicity, and taxpayer services to maintain business continuity during the pandemic and shared experiences in service and administration of VAT in digital times.

More than 20 members of the Belt and Road Initiative Tax Journal(BRITJ) Editorial Advisory Board around the world attended the annual meeting, expressing their support and providing their insightful views on the first issue, on BRITJ’s development and the role of the Editorial Advisory Board in general. The BRITJ, while featuring the distinct characteristics of BRI jurisdictions,  provides an indispensable platform for deepening tax communication and cooperation, and gives full play to its role as a “think tank” by providing intellectual support for BRI jurisdictions to improve domestic tax environment, strengthen tax administration cooperation, and build a growth-friendly tax environment.

Five virtual meetings of task forces of the BRITACOM Wuzhen Action Plan (2019-2021) on Expediting Tax Dispute Resolution, Following Rule of Law and Raising Tax Certainty, Enhancing Tax Administration Capacity, Digitalizing Tax Administration, and Streamlining Tax Compliance took place successfully from 4 August to 23 September 2020. Chair of each task force updated participants on the progress of each task force. Members of the task forces and the Advisory Board exchanged views on each interim report and reached consensus on next steps.

The Launch Ceremony of the Belt and Road Initiative Tax Journal (BRITJ) was held in Beijing, China on 12 June 2020. The BRITJ provides an important platform for communication and cooperation among tax administrations of the BRI jurisdictions, through which the Belt and Road Initiative Tax Administration Cooperation Mechanism (BRITACOM) Member Tax Administrations, Observers, and other relevant parties could share insights for the formulation and development of effective tax policies and tax systems, and exchange innovative practices and invaluable experiences.

In response to the COVID-19, the Secretariat of the BRITACOM organized a virtual meeting on 2 June 2020 for experience sharing and exchanging, allowing BRITACOM parties to stay close online in such challenging time. Tax administrations shared their experience on the fiscal and tax policies, and collection and administration measures to respond to the pandemic. Experts from the Advisory Board and international organizations analyzed and reviewed policies and measures and provided suggestions for tax administrations. Taking this opportunity, the BRITACOM Secretariat also updated the BRITACOM progress since the First BRITACOF and participants provided suggestions for the future operation.

Being the official platform of the BRITACOM, the website (www.britacom.org) was launched to release news, enhance communication, provide tax services, etc. among all the BRITACOM stakeholders. Later on, the training programs of the BRITACEG, international tax policies, tax treaties, and other useful knowledge products will also be shared on this platform.

At the challenging moment of fighting the COVID-19, the Special Edition of the BRITACOM Update on COVID-19 was issued, providing a platform for BRITACOM Council Member Tax Administrations, Observers, and other stakeholders to exchange views and share experiences in responding to the outbreak. The measures and policies rolled out by tax administrations, and views provided by international organizations and experts were circulated through this platform.

Tax officials from 8 countries and regions, as well as members or their representatives from the Advisory Board participated in the Seminar. The participants agreed that the digitalization of tax administration would be the theme of the Second BRITACOF. Besides focusing on the construction of the BRITACEG and the implementation of the Wuzhen Action Plan (2019-2021), all participants actively exchanged views on the BRITA working plan and the building of the BRITACEG experts team and explored options for efficient communication of Task Forces on five identified topics.

The BRITACEG hosted its first face-to-face training event on Tax Dispute Resolution in BRITA·Yangzhou in China during 27-31 May 2019 with 27 tax officials from 13 jurisdictions including Kazakhstan, Sierra Leone, and Ukraine, etc. attending the event. The framework and procedures of tax dispute resolution and BEPS Action Plan 14, etc. were introduced through the lectures by tax experts and discussions among the participating tax officials. This BRITACEG training, which was a well-acclaimed milestone, kicked off the training series of the BRITACOM.

In order to strengthen tax administration cooperation under the BRI framework guided by the principle of achieving shared growth through consultation and collaboration, the BRITACOM was officially launched at the First Belt and Road Initiative Tax Administration Cooperation Forum (BRITACOF) in Wuzhen, China from 18 to 20 April 2019. Heads and their representatives of tax administrations or finance departments from 85 jurisdictions, 16 international organizations, and a number of academic institutions and businesses participated in this conference.

The BRITACOM mainly consists of the Council, the decision-making body, and the Secretariat, a liaison office supporting the daily operation of the BRITACOM. Two key pillars underpin the success of the BRITACOM — the BRITACOF and the Belt and Road Initiative Tax Administration Capacity Enhancement Group (BRITACEG). In addition, an Advisory Board was established to advise on and assist in fulfilling the vision and the purpose of the BRITACOM.

The BRITACEG and its network — BRI Tax Academy (BRITA) Yangzhou and Beijing, were established at the First BRITACOF. Meanwhile, based on the in-depth discussions on the five interlocking tax topics, i.e., (i) following rule of law; (ii) raising tax certainty; (iii) expediting tax dispute resolution; (iv) streamlining tax compliance and digitalizing tax administration; and (v) enhancing tax administration capacity, the BRITACOM Council adopted the Wuzhen Statement and the Wuzhen Action Plan (2019- 2021).