VAT digitalisation was discussed at the 31st meeting of the CIS tax services in Bishkek

On the eve, of 4 October, Bishkek hosted the 31st meeting of the Coordinating Council of Heads of Tax Services of the CIS countries.

The main focus was on introducing digital solutions for the value-added tax (VAT) administration, which should increase payment transparency and simplify tax refund procedures.

Head of the Cabinet of Ministers Akylbek Zhaparov noted Kyrgyzstan's success in tax procedures' digitalisation, which led to a two-fold increase in budget revenues. He stressed the importance of the meeting's topic, noting that digitalisation not only increases efficiency but opens new development opportunities.

Chairman of the Tax Service Altynbek Abduvapov indicated that the Agency had significantly improved interaction with taxpayers, advanced in tax administration and confirmed this with its achievement figures. He noted the relevance of sharing knowledge and experiences among the members of the Coordination Council to overcome global challenges and improve tax systems. According to the head of the service, that will strengthen economic stability and social well-being.

Denis Trefilov, the CIS Deputy Secretary General, emphasised the important role of the Coordination Council as a platform for sharing experiences and planning further development of integration processes in the tax sphere. The Council's main tasks include improving cooperation in information exchange, tax legislation support and specialist training.

The meeting also discussed practical developments in electronic tools' application to improve VAT administration and the improvement of information exchange between the CIS countries' tax services. In addition, the meeting summarised the results of the Coordination Council's work plan for 2023-2024 implementation and reviewed the second phase of the CIS economic development strategy.