South-South Sharing of Successful Tax Practices (S4TP) – New Rules for Global Finance Coalition

What We DoGlobal Tax Reform & Capacity Building in the Global South

South-South Sharing of Successful Tax Practices (S4TP)

The project on South-South Sharing of Successful Tax Practices (S4TP) is designed to enhance cooperation and knowledge sharing among developing countries on successful practices for mobilizing domestic resources. To achieve this mission the project works to identify best practices that ensure tax revenues are wisely budgeted for development purposes and to integrate “Southern” country perspectives into international tax norms and practices. The S4TP initiative was formed in early 2008 by a partnership of the Special Unit for South-South Cooperation unit of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Financing for Development Office of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), New Rules for Global Finance and the Tax Justice Network.

The S4TP Initiative Pursues These Goals By:

1. Identifying successful Southern practices in tax policy and administration;
2. Disseminating such practices, including suggested refinements and options;
3. Identifying practical opportunities for promoting areas of taxation where there is a greater scope for regional and multilateral cooperation; and
4. Building awareness at high levels of the UN and participating governments of the value of South-South exchange for developing efficient tax systems and administration to mobilize domestic resources for development.

Activities planned for 2012 are focused on building a network of country correspondents, developing data bases and organizing meetings and workshops for Southern country tax leaders on focal policy issues of international taxation though the South-South dialogue and exchanges of this project. The exchanges of the S4TP project focus on issues of particular interest to developing countries where taxation is vitally important. The successful policies and practices in collection and distribution of taxes to be shared are those considered useful to countries in reaching the Millennium Development Goals. S4TP project activities are driven by Southern countries’ demands that they address their principal needs, or deficits, in information, skills, exchange of experience in mobilizing domestic resources, and in gaining greater voice and participation in international norm setting.