The 71st Annual Congress of the International Fiscal Association (IFA) was held on 27 August – 1 September 2017, with 2,000 delegates from around the world gathering in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to discuss two main themes: the practical consequences of BEPS and the future of transfer pricing.
OECD Task Force on Countering Illicit Trade Meets in Paris
The OECD Task Force on Countering Illicit Trade held its fifth meeting on 28-29 March in Paris, with over 80 attendees ranging from Customs and/or Revenue Authorities of OECD Member States, NGOs, academics, and private-sector firms (such as Apple and DHL). A broad range of national government agencies and international organizations – Ministries of Finance and Justice, Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Europol, World Customs Organization, and EU Intellectual Property Office – were represented at the meeting. Discussions focused on strengthening institutional capacities to counter illicit trade, including through e-commerce, as well as countering illicit trade in counterfeits and wildlife, as well as illicit trade conducted in Free Trade Zones.
Attendees endorsed the future development of a voluntary Code of Conduct for businesses operating in Free Trade Zones and taking steps to strengthen cooperation among Customs, mail operators and logistics providers to improve risk assessment and enforcement action related to internet sales of counterfeit goods.
The conference maintained a high-level of interest throughout with excellent, well-presented papers and presentations due to the strong leadership of Task Force Chair David Luna, and tremendous support from the OECD team of Rolf Alter, Jack Radisch and Michael Morantz.