To implement the outcomes of the first Belt and Road Initiative Tax Administration Cooperation Forum (hereinafter referred to as “BRITACOF”) and to chart the course of the Belt and Road Initiative (hereinafter referred to as “BRI”) friendly and mutually beneficial cooperation on tax administration in the next two years under the theme of “Building a Growth-Friendly Tax Environment”, we jointly formulate and adopt by consensus this Action Plan to be implemented in the years from the end of the first BRITACOF Conference to the beginning of the 3rd BRITACOF Conference. 

1. We will hold the BRITACOF Conference annually to provide a permanent platform for dialogue amongst the Belt and Road Initiative Tax Administration Cooperation Mechanism (hereinafter referred to as “BRITACʘM”) Member tax administrations (hereinafter referred to as “Member TAs”), Observers and other stakeholders. This forum will enable the dissemination of good practices, identify emerging issues that require joint actions and seek for innovative solutions through tax administration cooperation.

2. The Business and Industry Tax Dialogue will be established and will be held annually back to back with the BRITACOF Conference to raise taxrelated issues and suggestions from businesses on good practices in tax administrations, and help the Member TAs to understand current and emerging business models and the underlying commercial rationale of business transactions. B. Following rule of law and raising tax certainty

3. We will build the BRITACʘM official website into a knowledge-sharing platform to inform investors of the interpretation and application of tax laws.

4. We will conduct research on tax certainty to identify problems, seek for solutions, increase predictability and consistency in the application of tax laws and tax treaties, as well as in tax administration practices.

5. We will provide taxpayers with regular training programs when new tax laws take effect so as to ensure that the taxpayers are well-attuned to the new tax environment. 

6. It is critical that a robust framework is adopted to make sure that the Action Plan is accomplished in an inclusive and effective manner, taking into account the perspective of all BRI jurisdictions and the benefits for stakeholders at large. To this end, task forces will be established to examine the implementation of the action plans set forth herein, namely, (i) raising tax certainty; (ii) expediting tax dispute resolution; (iii) enhancing tax administration capacity; (iv) streamlining tax compliance; and (v) digitalizing tax administration.

In order to ensure the inclusiveness and representation on the task forces, each Member TA will join one or more task forces. Observers are strongly encouraged to further their engagement through participation in one or more task forces. The task forces will also draw upon the expertise of the BRITACʘM Advisory Board, well-established research institutes around the world and international organizations.

The task forces will meet both virtually and physically over the next two years and will work closely with businesses. Each task force will have one Chair from Member TAs who will be responsible for coordinating, organizing and overseeing the implementation of the Action Plan with the help of the Secretariat. For that purpose, Member TAs are requested to second qualified staff to work in the Secretariat to ensure that the Secretariat has adequate staff to provide necessary assistance. Observers are encouraged to second staff too.

The above-mentioned task forces will be set up by the end of June 2019. Each task force should develop its work plan and submit it to the Secretariat before 1 November 2019. An interim report assessing the first-year implementation of the Action Plan should be drafted and submitted to the BRITACOF Conference in 2020. The final report describing and measuring the full implementation of the Action Plan should be drafted and submitted to the BRITACOF Conference in 2021.