English
English
18/08/2023 - The Secretariat of the Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes (Global Forum) conducted an onsite visit to Rwanda, hosted by the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning and the Rwanda Revenue Authority, from 31 July to 5 August 2023. The objective was to conduct a mock assessment of Rwanda against the standard of Transparency and Exchange of Information on Request (the EOIR standard) and to take stock of Rwanda’s preparations for its first automatic exchange of financial account information.
The Global Forum Secretariat’s team held discussions with key stakeholders involved in the implementation of the EOIR standard, working with the national Steering Committee responsible for the implementation and the preparation of Rwanda’s EOIR peer review to be launched during the fourth quarter of 2023. Overall, Rwanda has taken significant steps in the implementation of EOIR since 2020 and is encouraged to continue its efforts. The preliminary findings were shared with the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning and other senior officials from the Government of Rwanda, including the Commissioner General of Rwanda Revenue Authority. This will be complemented by a detailed report with advice on ways to strengthen Rwanda’s legal and regulatory framework and its practical implementation.
During the visit, a half-day workshop on the Automatic Exchange of Financial Accounts Information standard (AEOI) was held, in the presence of over 30 representatives from the financial institutions in Rwanda and the Central Bank (Banque Nationale du Rwanda). The Secretariat introduced the AEOI standard and presented its key requirements, as well as the state of implementation globally and in Rwanda. This gave representatives of Rwanda’s financial industry an overview of their role and obligations, as Rwanda takes steps towards its first exchanges under the AEOI standard in 2025.
Representatives from the Government of Rwanda took advantage of the visit to reaffirm Rwanda’s commitment to the tax transparency standards as effective tools for combatting cross-border tax evasion and boosting domestic revenue.
The Global Forum is the leading multilateral body mandated to ensure that jurisdictions around the world adhere to and effectively implement both the exchange of information on request standard and the standard of automatic exchange of information. These objectives are achieved through a robust monitoring and peer review process. The Global Forum also runs an extensive capacity-building programme to support its members in implementing the standards and help tax authorities make the best use of cross-border information sharing channels. The delivery of the Global Forum’s capacity-building programme, including this joint workshop, is only made possible thanks to the financial support and the trust of its generous donor partners.
The Global Forum capacity-building programme is supported by the following development partners:
For more information, please contact gftaxcooperation@oecd.org.
Related Documents
