Capacity Development Tools

The updated version of the Manual, developed by the UN Tax Committee, aims to address the requests and comments of representatives from developing countries, taking into consideration the outputs of the G20/OECD BEPS Project, including providing revised guidance relevant transfer pricing issues and new guidelines on relevant related topics, such as intra-group services and the treatment of intangibles. The first version of the Manual has already been of great assistance in helping developing countries to counter profit shifting, which deprives them of substantial revenues to finance their…

Effective tax systems are critical to mobilizing domestic resources for investment in sustainable development. This publication addresses several issues which are of particular importance and relevance to developing countries in protecting and broadening their tax base, with a view to strengthening their capacity to increase tax revenue. This second edition of the Handbookhas been updated and expanded to take into account new and emerging issues and the latest international developments in this area. In recent years, increasing attention has been paid to the issue of tax base erosion and…

In order to complement and operationalize the guidelines contained in the United Nations Handbook on Selected Issues in Protecting the Tax Base of Developing Countries through more in-depth and hands-on practical guidance, as well as to make it accessible to a broader audience of relevant stakeholders in developing countries, the Financing for Development Office developed a series of United Nations Practical Portfolios on Protecting the Tax Base of Developing Countries (Practical Portfolios). These practical materials are intended to assist tax officials in developing countries to…

This Manual, developed by the UN Tax Committee, is a compact training tool for beginners with limited experience in tax treaty negotiation. It seeks to provide practical guidance to tax treaty negotiators in developing countries, in particular those who negotiate based on the United Nations Model Double Taxation Convention between Developed and Developing Countries. It deals with all the basic aspects of tax treaty negotiation, both from the practical and the substantive point of view, and it is focused on the realities and stages of capacity development of developing countries.

This publication aims to provide National Tax Administrations with a methodology to identify and measure Tax Transaction Costs for taxpayers and tax institutions, assisting in the identification of possible policy reforms aimed at reducing these costs, while fostering greater tax compliance. The recommendations are based on good practices and build upon the inputs from several developing countries and the pilot implementation of the methodology in Costa Rica and Uruguay. Subsequently, the methodology was also used by tax administrations in Brazil and Chile.

This collection of papers provides practical guidance to developing countries to effectively negotiate double tax treaties, especially those drawing upon the United Nations Model Double Taxation Convention between Developed and Developing Countries.The papers were drafted with attention to the specific needs and priorities of developing countries and build upon inputs provided by officials from Ministries of Finance and National Tax Authorities in 35 developing countries in different regions.

The UN Model Convention is a non-binding instrument which aims to provide guidance to countries in designing double tax treaties, as well as in applying and interpreting them. It is developed and updated by the UN Committee of Experts on International Cooperation in Tax Matters, a subsidiary body of the Economic and Social Council, composed by 25 members from developed and developing countries acting in their personal capacity. The UN Model Convention is formulated to take into account the specific needs of developing countries in designing double tax treaties in line with their own policy…