6th IOTA Annual International Conference 'Real-time Economy Development and Tax Administrations'

The event featured a remarkable lineup of speakers from diverse sectors, including IOTA member tax administrations, international partners, tax technology professionals, and representatives from the business sector. Over the two days, IOTA members—from the host country Estonia, as well as Azerbaijan, Belgium, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom—shared their experiences and insights from the transformation journey toward a real-time economy. Attendees heard about the latest international developments from organisations such as the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Taxation and Customs Union (DG TAXUD), the OECD Centre for Tax Policy and Administration, and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Furthermore, perspectives from businesses and technology companies, including Accenture, Avask, Capgemini, Cybernetica, DataTorque, Fast Enterprises, Fonoa, Mastercard, Microsoft, Moody’s, Netcompany, Nortal, and Royalty Range were shared and discussed. Conference sessions explored how tax administrations can promote and support real-time economic infrastructure, focusing on real-time tax compliance, advanced data analytics, prompt revenue collection, and smooth tax integration into natural business workflows.

The Conference began with opening remarks from key representatives of the organisers, the Estonian host administration, the IOTA Secretariat, and the IOTA Presidency. Mr Keit Kasemets, Secretary of State, Government Office of Estonia, along with Mr Raigo Uukkivi, Director General, Estonian Tax and Customs Board, extended a warm welcome to the audience. The local representatives were joined by Mr Ferenc Vágujhelyi, Commissioner of NTCA and IOTA President, and Alix Perrignon De Troyes, IOTA Executive Secretary. Together, they set the scene for engaging discussions on Real-time Economy Development and Tax Administration.

The first day featured excellent plenary sessions and panel discussions on topics such as embracing real-time data, digital transformation, and the importance of international cooperation in creating transparent, efficient, and compliant tax systems that suit the digital global economy. The first discussion focused on ‘Creating a Real-Time Economy Ecosystem in Estonia’, exploring national initiatives that are transforming interactions with tax authorities through innovative principles and digital strategies. Jevgeni Shoron from the Estonian Tax and Customs Board facilitated the discussion, who was joined by speakers including Taavi Kotka, Member of the Government Office’s Council for Efficiency and Economic Growth; Rain Hendrikson, Business Architect of the Information System Authority of Estonia; and Janek Rozov, Deputy Director General for Development, Estonian Tax and Customs Board.

The following session ‘Real-Time Economy and Real-Time Taxation, Where We Stand: The International Perspective’ offered an international perspective on advancements and legislation with insights from representatives of IOTA’s international partner organisations, such as Maria Elena Scoppio from the European Commission, DG TAXUD; Enriko Aav from the IMF; and Sofie Stenbøg from the OECD Centre for Tax Policy and Administration.

The first day of the Conference also presented countries’ experiences in achieving real-time tax compliance. The session, titled ‘A Path to Tax Compliance in Real-Time: Best Practices and Future-Proof Solutions’, was moderated by Raili Roosimaa from the Estonian Tax and Customs Board, while Directors General from tax administrations of Hungary, Lithuania, Finland, and Azerbaijan shared their countries' experiences, highlighting the importance of innovation and strategic planning. This session was joined by Ferenc Vágujhelyi, Commissioner of the National Tax and Customs Administration of Hungary (NTCA) and IOTA President, Edita Janušienė, Head of the State Tax Inspectorate of Lithuania, Markku Heikura, Director-General of the Finnish Tax Administration, and Orkhan Nazarli, Head of Tax Service under the Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Azerbaijan. 

One of the afternoon sessions, titled ‘Real-Time Tax Compliance: Tech & Business Perspective’, examined ongoing tax compliance efforts, featuring contributions from tech leaders such as Gabriel Bellenger from Accenture, Chris Moor from Capgemini, and Marek Bawol from Fast Enterprises. Evan Wilson led this session from DataTorque. The day concluded with parallel discussions in breakout rooms, with three tracks focused on implementing real-time tax compliance.

Alongside the event, the IOTA Expo on “Real-Time Tax Compliance Solutions” was a key feature, showcasing innovative technologies and live demonstrations that emphasise the importance of real-time compliance for the future of tax administration. This time, Accenture, AVASK Global Compliance Ltd, Capgemini, Cybernetica, DataTorque, the Estonian Tax and Customs Board, Fast Enterprises LLC, the State Tax Inspectorate under the Ministry of Finance of Lithuania, Mastercard, Microsoft, Moody’s, Netcompany, Nortal, and RoyaltyRange joined us as exhibitors, adding more vibrancy to the event.

The second day of the conference started with the feedback from the three parallel sessions that took place on the first day, covering different aspects of the real-time tax compliance implementation process in tax administrations, including re-designing tax processes, improving tax data analytics and leveraging the technology. Chantal Sauber from the Swiss Federal Tax Administration moderated the session, while rapporteurs Karen Dunne and Davena Lyons from the Office of the Revenue Commissioners, Ireland and Fredrik Andersson Carlö from the Swedish Tax Agency gave a brief overview of the discussions on transitioning to real-time tax compliance and using advanced data analytics to ensure timely revenue collection. 

Following this, Joonas Jarva from the Finnish Tax Administration led the session on ‘Utilising Real-Time Data: Country Approaches and AI Possibilities‘. Panellists, including Valentina Ion from Microsoft, Emdad Islam from the His Majesty’s Revenue & Customs of the United Kingdom, Antonino Virgillito from the Italian Revenue Agency, and Evan Wilson from DataTorque, discussed how these technologies enable instant transaction processing, such as digital invoices and bank data, and covered operational improvements, ethical considerations, challenges, and benefits. 

One of the final sessions, titled ‘Real-Time Taxation – Public-Private Lessons Learned’, featured real stories from tax administrations and private companies about working together to create real-time tax systems. Speakers shared their successes, challenges, and lessons learned in implementing real-time tax systems, highlighting the importance of software providers and collaboration. Sami Koskinen from the Finnish Tax Administration moderated this session, with contributions from Ben Lewis from Fonoa, Vegard Spiten from the Norwegian Tax Administration, Christian Weinzinger from the Austrian Federal Ministry of Finance, and Arne Ansper from Cybernetica. 

The Conference programme concluded with a panel debate on global trends and future outlooks. Invited panellists talked about the impact of the real-time economy, emphasising the importance of interoperability, standardisation, cross-border cooperation, and regulatory changes. Øivind Strømme from the Norwegian Tax Administration led the discussion with speakers including Enriko Aav (IMF), Valentina Ion (Microsoft), and Ferenc Vágujhelyi (NTCA).

The Conference wrapped up with closing remarks from the organisers, including the Estonian Tax and Customs Board and the IOTA Secretariat.

All materials, presentations, and photographs from the 6th IOTA Annual International Conference are now available on the dedicated webpage for the event on the IOTA web portal. Video recordings of the event will be uploaded to the same webpage soon. This event was led by the IOTA Work Programme Manager Eugenijus Soldatkovas, supported by his colleagues, IOTA International Taxation Experts Massimo Morarelli and Ivana Donchevska.