Baku, February 9, AZERTAC

The Tax Forum themed “Azerbaijani tax system: Realities and Prospects” dedicated to the 15th anniversary of the establishment of the Taxes Ministry in Azerbaijan today kicked off in Baku.

The forum also gathered representatives of the Cabinet of Ministers, Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences, the European Union, the World Bank, the International Finance Corporation, the representatives of the tax authorities of Russia, Turkey, Lithuania and Kazakhstan and others.

Addressing the Forum, Taxes Minister Fazil Mammadov said that “Taxpayers in Azerbaijan can fulfill all obligations online”. At his words, the Taxes Ministry provides Azerbaijani population with 59 types of electronic services, which is the widest range of e-services delivered by state agencies. There are 481 e-services of government agencies in Azerbaijan, 320 of them are integrated into the “E-government” portal.

“Today, the businessmen in Azerbaijan can fulfill all obligations on the Internet without visiting the tax authority, the Minister said. “Filing of tax returns, fulfillment of tax obligations and all of the processes that connect users with the tax authority have been electronized. Approximately 90 percent of taxpayers impose tax returns in electronic form.”

A stable tax system that meets the objectives of planning long-term strategic development of the country has been created over 15 years since the Ministry's establishment.

Fazil Mammadov said: “Tax Service of Azerbaijan has passed a thorough process of modernization since technological base of the tax system was established. The system has a wide range of technical capabilities. Today, the country's tax system offers taxpayers most of tax services used in the most advanced countries’.

According to the Minister, the innovative achievements have improved the VAT administration.

As a result of implemented measures, over the past 15 years the volume of taxes and other revenues of the state budget have increased 14 times, the revenue from non-oil sector, 14.4 times, and the proceeds from the regions, 14.8 times.

United Nations support Azerbaijan's efforts to introduce “E-government” and the Taxes Ministry is one of the leading government agencies in this process,” said Antonius Broek, Resident Coordinator and Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme in Azerbaijan.

“The economic strategy of Azerbaijan is confirmed based on the concept of “Azerbaijan 2020: a Look Into the Future”, he noted. The new strategy aims to diversify the economy and reduce dependence on the oil sector.

He noted that at the moment the main priority is to resolve the problem of tax offenses related to tax evasion.

At his words, the reforms in the tax system will contribute to reforms in other areas.