The African Tax Administration Forum (ATAF) has vacancies at three senior positions. Click on their link below for further information.

http://www.ataftax.org/en/opportunities.html

Click on the link below to download the latest newsletter:

Newsletter, March 2013
The Newsletter is now published in Adobe pdf format. Download the free reader here:

Canada - Minister hosts economic consultations with local business leaders

Singapore - A Risk-based Approach to Tax Compliance

Zambia - Income Tax & Value Added Tax changes

Australia - ATO being open and transparent with large business

Malta - Cooperation with Other Jurisdictions on Tax Matters

Mauritius - Recent Treaty Negotiations

Cyprus - Better Regulation – Measures approved by Council of Ministers

Lesotho- 2013/14 National Budget

CATA's 34th Annual Technical Conference will be hosted by the Rwanda Revenue Authority, between 21 - 25 October 2013.

The venue will be the Serena Kigali Hotel, Kigali. 

The two topics for discussion will be 1. "SMMEs: Strategies for taxing an untapped resource for development." 2. "Current issues around taxing High Net Worth Individuals."

All member countries are required to submit a background paper on each topic to the CATA Secretariat by 31 July 2013.

Accommodation for delegates will be available in three hotels.  Delegates are responsible for booking their accommodation and early booking is recommended. 

Full details

To register for the conference, please log in to the members area and select "2013 Annual Technical Conference" from the left sidebar to download the registration form, hotel booking form and background paper questionnaire and the guidelines to complete this.

Please note that the closing date for registration for the conference is 31 August 2013.

HMRC is again providing this highly regarded UK based programme, which starts in May 2013 with six weeks of online learning via email with the course director, mainly on a one-to-one basis. This is vital preparation for the intensive six weeks residential phase held in the UK from 29 July to 6 September 2013. The course director is available until 31 December 2013 to provide follow-up support after the participants return home.

Full details

Benefits to your tax administration

Please note that the closing date for applications is 29 March 2013.

This very successful course is also provided by HMRC. The course runs from May to December 2013 but centres on an intensive six-week residential period in the UK from 29 July to 6 September 2013. The course starts in May 2013 with essential preparatory learning conducted by email with the course director. The course director will provide further mentoring assistance by email until 31 December 2013.

Full details

Benefits to your tax administration

Please note that the closing date for applications is 29 March 2013.

The Workshop on the Taxation of International Transactions for senior and middle level tax officials will be hosted by the Inland Revenue Board of Malaysia, from 3 to 21 June 2013.

Applications must be made using Form MTA 3. All applications must be submitted through the applicant’s Government to the Malaysian Tax Academy. Please note that the closing date for the applications is 3 April 2013.

Full details

The Executive Director has extended a very warm welcome to the Isle of Man, which has become CATA's 49th member. The Isle of Man will be represented within the Association by the Income Tax Division of the Isle of Man's Treasury.

CATA is pleased to announce the recent publication of two guides.

"Examination of Accounts for Tax Auditing",by Jameel Ahmed Bhutto, is a new booklet intended to help tax auditors identify material defects and distortions in accounts prepared with the wilful intention of avoiding the proper taxation of income.

"Tax Audit Techniques in Cash Based Economies", by Sheikh Sajjad Hassan, is the second edition of CATA's popular practical guide to the detection of unrecorded cash transactions, first published in 2005.  This edition has been comprehensively updated, and includes new material on brokers and estate agents and expanded sections on importers, exporters, wholesalers, transport businesses and insurance companies.                                                                                                       

Click here to purchase these guides from the Commonwealth Secretariat online book store

CATA and the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) are pleased to announce the introduction of a new E-learning product – Tax Audit Fundamentals (TAF), for use by CATA members.

TAF is an interactive learning experience designed to take new auditors through each stage of conducting an audit. It may be completed entirely online, or alternatively downloaded in PDF format for offline use. An exercise is presented at the conclusion of each unit of TAF to reinforce the learning objectives. There is also a final exercise at the end of the product to enable the learner to check the level of comprehension of basic auditing attained. We encourage all users to provide feedback about TAF to the CRA through the questionnaire included as part of the product. The CRA will monitor user feedback on an ongoing basis.

To access TAF please log in to the members area and select "e-learning: Tax Audit Fundamentals".