The 43 rd Technical Conference of the Commonwealth Association of Tax Administrators, held in the
Republic of Maldives from 10 th to 13 th July 2023, was attended by Deputy Prime Minister, Hon. Tuala
Tevaga Iosefo Ponifasio, who is the also the Minister of MCR. His attendance was accompanied by
the CEO of the Ministry, Fonoti Talaitupu Lia Taefu.
The conference for this year focused on the theme ‘Role of Data in Tax Compliance Management
and Taxation of Hospitality Industry’, and gave recognition to the importance of the work of tax
administrations around the world, and noted the move towards data driven decision making to
make it easier for taxpayers to comply with tax laws. Given the objective change of modern tax
administration to increase voluntary compliance of taxpayers, data can be used as a powerful tool to
drive compliance. Data transmission, extraction, cleansing, analysis and information security play a
significant role in the work of tax administration and thus, require progressive developments to
ensure a strong and effective compliance risk management framework is in place.
The theme was divided into five main topics to further simulate and encourage discussions amongst
the delegates through a total of nine sessions. The five main topics were on information sharing on
the national, bilateral and multilateral levels and the critical role of this exchange in the
effectiveness of tax administrations, the move to strengthen tax administrations through
automation, mitigating international tax risks in the hospitality industry and considering the
relationship of tax and the environment. Country experiences were shared on these main topics and
the Deputy Prime Minister as the head of delegation from Samoa also provided update on the work
by MCR on Samoa E-tax and TIMS and the importance of these systems in the work of the Ministry.
He also advised the meeting on work now progressing in the upgrade of the RMS system which will
be a substantial move and change for the Ministry.
Furthermore, the delegation from Samoa attended a site visit on the local island of Huraa
showcasing the pivotal contribution of the tourism industry in the economy of Maldives and had the
opportunity to experience a day of Maldivian craftmanship, culture and cuisine. We are truly
grateful to God for his guidance to and from the conference and are thankful to the Honorable Prime

Minister and Cabinet for the approval granted which enabled the esteemed delegates from Samoa
to attend.