Bureau of Internal Revenue Commissioner Kim S. Jacinto-Henares was appointed by the United Nations (UN) Secretary General Ban Ki Moon as a member of the UN Committee of Experts on International Cooperation in Tax Matters in accordance with Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Resolution 2004/69.
The Committee, consisting of 25 tax experts and senior tax administrators from 10 developed and 15 developing countries and economies in transition, is responsible for exploring ways and means of facilitating the conclusion of tax treaties between developed and developing countries and for promoting international tax cooperation among tax authorities.
Commissioner Henares welcomes her appointment to the committee as an opportunity to advance the interest of developing countries in the formulation of tax treaty commentaries and recommendations to various tax issues brought about by increasing globalization and integration of economies. Tax agencies especially from developing countries, like the Philippines, face serious challenges in enforcing laws and collecting taxes from cross-border transactions. In a 2014 report, Global Financial Integrity estimates that the Philippine government has lost at least US $23 Billion tax revenues since 1990 from trade mis-invoicing.
“Globalization does not just create opportunities for doing business, it also creates risks for tax evasion and base erosion. Unlike advanced countries, we lack the capacity to tackle complicated cross-border tax problems. It is important to have this platform and be part of this body where developing countries are given special attention in dealing with these issues,” she said.
Before being appointed to the UN Committee, Commissioner Henares has been active in international dialogues on Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) and exchange of information where she has been very vocal about the challenges by developing countries in implementing global standards on tax transparency and fairness.
Commissioner Henares’ term begins in October 2014 and ends on June 30, 2017.
