International Assistance in Tax Recovery: Tunisia Takes a Step Forward
As part of the European Union-funded technical assistance program for Tunisia, the Secretariat of the "Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes" organized a training workshop last week in Tunis on "International Assistance in Tax Recovery". This forum is responsible for in-depth monitoring and peer review of the implementation of standards on transparency and exchange of information on request and automatic exchange of information.
Recall that the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) announced in January 2022 that Tunisia has committed to implementing the Standard for Automatic Exchange of Financial Account Information for tax purposes by 2024. This decision is part of the fight against tax fraud and evasion. The automatic exchange will enable Tunisia to obtain a significant amount of information on financial assets held abroad by Tunisian residents.
Thirty officials from the central and regional services of the General Directorate of Taxes, the General Directorate of Public Accounting and Recovery, and the General Directorate of Customs participated in this workshop. The objective is to raise awareness among participants about international assistance in tax recovery. This will allow participants to familiarize themselves with the concept of international assistance in tax recovery, as well as the legal and operational frameworks of this form of administrative assistance in tax matters.
In practice, this means that the tax administration is increasingly equipped to have a clearer picture of the assets of Tunisians, both in Tunisia and abroad. Even with the promulgation of a new exchange code, we do not think that this right will be granted. Bad news for several individuals who discreetly hold assets, as the regulation here is very strict in this regard.
