Turkey to host international tax forum

The Second Middle East North Africa (MENA) Tax Forum will take place in Istanbul between October 18 and 20 under an invitation from Turkey's Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek, Anadolu reported.

The first forum took place in Qatar in 2010.

High-level executives of tax administrations, tax and tax policy experts and academicians of 18 Middle Eastern and North African countries as well as representatives of Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, Gulf Cooperation Council, and European Union (EU) will attend the meeting.

Some of the participating countries are Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Jordan, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen and Iran.

"Turkey expects to contribute to Arab Spring with its economic experiences," Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek said.

Participants are expected to discuss solutions to common challenges and to share best practices in taxation. As many regional countries move towards a non-oil economy, and other countries see enhanced economic growth, the Forum is to evolve into a convenient platform where countries in the region share peer experiences, investigate issues of common concern, and gain insight about solutions used in more advanced economies.

The purpose of the MENA Tax Forum is to bring the benefits of the successful regional programs conducted by ITIC in the Central Asia/East Europe, Asia Pacific and sub-Saharan Africa regions.


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