Commissioner Conversations

Reflections on the 2021 FTA Plenary discussions and FTA priorities

Interview between Pascal Saint-Amans (Director, OECD Centre for Tax Policy and Administration), Bob Hamilton (Chair, OECD Forum on Tax Administration) and Jérôme Fournel (Directeur general, Direction générale des Finances publiques) – March 2022

In this conversation, Pascal Saint-Amans, Bob Hamilton and Jérôme Fournel share views and perspectives on the 2021 Forum on Tax Administration (FTA) Plenary meeting as well as on current and future priorities of the FTA. They also discussed:

the main challenges facing tax administrations over the next few years as we look to come out of the COVID-19 pandemic,
the negotiations surrounding the Two-Pillar Solution to address the tax challenges arising from the digitalisation of the economy as well as some of the implementation challenges, and
the importance of the digitalisation agenda and how they see the FTA supporting digital transformation efforts of all members.

Recorded 2 March 2022

Digital Transformation – The View from China

Interview between Commissioner Wang Jun and Pascal Saint-Amans – August 2021

This Commissioner Conversation, between Commissioner Wang Jun of China's State Taxation Administration (STA) and Pascal Saint-Amans, Director of the OECD Centre for Tax Policy and Administration, provides insights into the digital transformation plans of the STA. After making significant progress in the development and use of a wide range of e-administration tools, the STA is now embarking on a digital transformation journey along the lines of the vision set out by Forum on Tax Administration (FTA) Commissioners in the Tax Administration 3.0 discussion paper published at the FTA 2020 Plenary. Commissioner Wang Jun sets out the background to the recently published “Blueprint for Further Deepening the Reform of Tax Collection and Administration”. This Blueprint adopts a whole of government approach to respond to the rapid digitalisation of the economy as well as the changing expectations of taxpayers and citizens and explores the potential of new technology tools to provide more seamless taxation services to enhance compliance and bring about significant reductions in compliance costs.

Gender balance in tax administrations

Interview between Commissioner Naomi Ferguson and Grace Perez-Navarro – November 2020

Naomi Ferguson, Commissioner of Inland Revenue New Zealand and Chair of the FTA Gender Balance Network, speaks to Grace Perez-Navarro of the OECD Centre for Tax Policy and Administration. The conversation covers Naomi’s career as a woman in tax administration, the main considerations for successful gender balance practices, the work of the FTA Gender Balance Network and the impacts of COVID-19 on gender balance issues.

Recorded 8 November 2020

Farewell to Hans Christian Holte

Interview between Hans Christian Holte and Pascal Saint-Amans - July 2020

Hans Christian Holte (outgoing Chair of the OECD Forum on Tax Administration) reflects upon his time as FTA chair with Pascal Saint-Amans (Director of the OECD Centre for Tax Policy and Administration). He discusses his vision prior to becoming Norwegian tax commissioner and FTA chair, what kept him awake at night and what he is most proud of. They discuss lessons learned from the COVID-19 crisis and Hans Christian shares advice with the new FTA chair.

Recorded 21 July 2020

Considerations for successful remote working

Interview between Commissioner Fernando Barraza and Director General Markku Heikura - June 2020

One of the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic for tax administrations and many other organisations has been the closure of offices and a partial or, in some cases, an almost full move to remote working (also known as teleworking). For some tax administrations, such as the Finnish Tax Administration (Vero), remote working has been a long-standing feature of their working arrangements making this a relatively straightforward adjustment in some respects. For others, it has presented a wide range of challenges, for example from a lack of suitable hardware, security concerns, work management and staff welfare issues.

In the first of a new Forum on Tax Administration (FTA) series, "Commissioner Conversations", Commissioner Fernando Barraza of the Chilean Tax Administration (Servicio de Impuestos Internos) interviews Markku Heikura, Director General of the Finnish Tax Administration (Vero) about the considerations for successful remote working.