UNDP and South Centre Capacity Building Workshop on Taxation of the Digitalised Economy for the Government of Sri Lanka
16 and 17 May 2023
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Event details
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), through its Tax for SDGs Initiative, and the South Centre, Switzerland jointly organised a two-day capacity-building workshop on “Taxation of the Digitalised Economy” for nearly 100 officials from the Fiscal Policy Department (FPD), Inland Revenue Department (IRD), the Ministry of Finance and key private sector actors in the digital space in Sri Lanka.
The UNDP Tax for SDGs Initiative in collaboration with the South Centre’s Tax Initiative support developing countries in increasing Domestic Resource Mobilization (DRM) and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Domestically mobilized revenues, which form the bedrock of both development and climate finance, have been severely impacted even as they have become even more important for the recovery efforts and for reviving investments in economic and social development. In this regard, the workshop was organized at an opportune moment as Sri Lanka embarks on a path to economic recovery and course correction, particularly addressing structural issues pertaining to government revenue. Globally too, countries are increasingly focusing efforts to strengthen domestic resource mobilization as they chart up ways to manage the severe dent caused by multiple crises.
The workshop provided a unique opportunity for stakeholders to exchange and interact with their peers and international experts on the tax challenges arising from the digitalized economy. More specifically, the workshop focused on:
(1) policy options for taxing the digitalized economy, especially Multinational Enterprises (MNEs) supplying digital services such as online advertising and platform intermediation
(2) designing a minimum effective corporate income tax
(3) presenting ongoing discussions at the global level on taxing the digitalized economy
(4) obtaining evidence and perspectives of Sri Lanka on taxing the digitalized economy
(5) creating an inclusive platform for peer learning and exchange through the knowledge & experiences of the workshop participants