Weekly Round-Up

March 1993: ITIC’s Inception in Russia and Kazakhstan

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Stanford economist Charles McLure (right) joined Dan Witt (center) and Russian Deputy Finance Minister Sergey Gorbachev (left) to sign a Memorandum of Understanding in Moscow in March 1993 leading to the creation of the International Tax and Investment Center. Professor McClure’s expertise provided critical input that helped establish ITIC’s triangular dialogue among taxpayers, tax authorities and independent experts.

The original MoU signed in Moscow 25 years ago can be viewed here.

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Kazakhstan’s Minister of Finance Yerkeshbay Derbisov and Dan Witt sign an agreement to launch ITIC in March 1993, while State Revenue Administration Director General Marat Ospanov looks on.


OECD BEPS Convention To Enter Into Force on 1 July 2018

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Earlier this month, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) announced that the "Multilateral Convention to Implement Tax Treaty Related Measures to Prevent Base Erosion and Profit Shifting" will enter into force on 1 July 2018. This "milestone" achievement follows Slovenia's deposit of the fifth instrument of ratification on 22 March 2018.  [More Information]


IMF Releases Working Paper on Transfer Pricing Regulations

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The International Monetary Fund (IMF) released a new working paper entitled, "At A Cost: The Real Effects of Transfer Pricing Regulations," which focuses on how "Unilateral adoption of transfer pricing regulations may have a negative impact on real investment by multinational corporations (MNCs)." [Full Paper]


UNCTAD Secretary-General Discusses Tariffs and Trade

Mr. Mukhisa Kituyi, Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), warned that unilateral tariffs should be a “last resort” during a recent appearance on Bloomberg TV. [Interview]


IMF Releases Lao PDR Country Report

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Following a February Staff Visit to Lao PDR for Article IV Consultation, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) released Country Report No. 18/84, comprised of the Executive Board's Press Release following the IMF mission, Staff Report, Debt Sustainability Analysis, Informational Annex, and a Statement by the Executive Director. [More Information]