On December 14, 2023, Tax Inspectors Without Borders (TIWB), a collaborative effort between the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), launched a new initiative in Saint Lucia. India has been selected as the Partner Administration and will contribute Tax Experts to the program.
Expected to span 12-18 months, the initiative will see India working in conjunction with the TIWB Secretariat and with the backing of the UNDP Country Office in Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean. The primary objective is to assist Saint Lucia in bolstering its tax administration by transferring technical expertise and skills, as well as sharing best practices. The program will specifically emphasize the effective utilization of automatic exchange of information within the Common Reporting Standard (CRS) framework.
Smt. Pragya Sahay Saksena, Member (Legislation) of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) under the Ministry of Finance, Government of India, participated in the launch via video conferencing. Also present were Mr. Francis Fontenelle, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Finance, Saint Lucia; Mr. Ben Dickinson, Head of Global Relations and Development Division of the Centre for Tax Policy and Administration at the OECD; Ms. Rusudan Kemularia, Head of the TIWB Secretariat; and other senior officers from Saint Lucia, UNDP, OECD, TIWB Secretariat, and the Foreign Tax & Tax Research Division of CBDT.
This marks the seventh TIWB program supported by India, showcasing its commitment to providing Tax Experts for such initiatives.