MENA Regional Tax

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MENA Regional Tax Financial Management Training
Center

• Ashraf Al Arabi
• Senior Advisor to the Minister on Tax Policies

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MENA Regional Tax Financial Management
Training Center

• Needs and Rationale
• Most countries in the Middle East and North
  Africa (MENA) region are undertaking substantial
  modernization of various aspects.
• The quantum of training needs which will be
  required from governments in the MENA region can
  be appreciated by comparison with the situation
  faced by the 10 new member countries of the
  European Union.
• Given the wide disparities in income and in
  country sizes, a regional institute would allow
  for economies of size in offerings (diversity,
  quality) which would not be available to
  individual small and medium countries.

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MENA Regional Tax Financial Management
Training Center

• Needs and Rationale
• Even for medium sized countries, pooling
  resources would insure that in the case of highly
  specialized skills the required training could be
  carried at fewer costs and/or in a more timely
  fashion.
• Such an institution could focus more narrowly on
  skills and problems which are of particular
  relevance to the region.
• The existence of such an institution could favour
  the development of officials' networks in
  financial management which would facilitate the
  transmission of techniques, experiences and
  knowledge within the region.

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MENA Regional Tax Financial Management
Training Center

• Clientele and Skills
• The Center's ultimate goal is to help ministries
  of finance in the Arab world (MOFs) develop well
  trained highly qualified critical masses capable
  to carry and spread the swiftly ongoing reforms
  in their home institutions through vertical
  development of such staff.
• At this stage, the Center is envisaged as
  offering training primarily focused on middle
  level managers and professionals.
• To achieve its mission, the Center will provide
  high quality interrelated set of programs, mostly
  based on problem solving techniques to help
  develop such cadre.

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MENA Regional Tax Financial Management
Training Center

• Programs
• Would particularly cover specialized areas
  related to
• 1. Direct and indirect taxation.
• 2. International Taxation.
• 3. Budget formulation and execution.
• 4. Cash management.
• 5. Debt management.

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MENA Regional Tax Financial Management
Training Center

• Programs
• 6. Certified public accountants and auditors.
• 7. Management of public-private partnership
  schemes.
• 8. Other managerial skills.
• 9. Demand driven courses to help member
  countries fulfill particular skill development
  needs.

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MENA Regional Tax Financial Management
Training Center

• We believe that the Center will draw on the
  invaluable technical resources available at other
  international and regional organizations such as
  the OECD, IMF, World Bank, Arab Monetary Fund,
  Joint Vienna Institute, and others, beside
  assistance from the well recognized domestic
  institutions available in most OECD countries to
  develop its programs, curriculums, training
  trainers, tuition, certificationetc.

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MENA Regional Tax Financial Management
Training Center

• Thank you