About this learning event

This 2.5-day workshop will explore how tax systems can contribute to fairer societies through more equitable and trusted tax systems. It will approach fair taxation as a practical and whole-system issue, focusing not only on tax rates and policy design, but also on how taxes are implemented, communicated and complied with. It aims to strengthen participants’ ability to recognize practical fairness challenges in tax systems and understand how they affect revenue collection, social cohesion, economic development, trust and compliance.

By combining short expert inputs, country examples, peer exchange and open discussion, the workshop will examine revenue systems that are often heavily reliant on consumption taxes, social contributions and flat-rate income taxation, as well as systems based on more progressive taxation. Attention will be given to the role of progressive personal income and corporate taxes, as well as underutilized instruments such as property, wealth, and inheritance taxes.

Drawing on concrete examples from their national contexts, participants will discuss recent reforms, reform attempts and the political economy challenges that shape what is technically desirable and what is practically feasible. Comparative examples from different contexts will be used to show how fairness can be strengthened through both tax policy choices and tax administration practices.

Through reflecting on practical questions about affected groups, data needs, administrative feasibility, compliance risks, communication and implementation capacity, participants will gain insights into how fair taxation can strengthen social cohesion, enhance revenue stability, support sustainable growth and improve trust in public institutions. By the end of the workshop, participants should be able to:

• understand how the overall tax mix affects the distribution of the tax burden, revenue stability and fairness;
• recognize common fairness risks linked to tax policy choices and tax administration practices;
• understand how tax administration practices, including taxpayer service, communication, digital tools, risk-based control and enforcement influence trust and voluntary compliance;
• contribute more effectively to internal discussions, reform implementation, reporting, communication, and coordination related to fair taxation.

Who should attend

This workshop is designed for officials from ministries of finance and tax administrations who are involved in designing and setting tax policy.

Faculty

• Branimir Jovanović, The Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies; CEF Associate Fellow

Additional experts will be announced closer to the workshop date

Practical information

Travel, accommodation and hospitality costs for up to two selected participants from Albania, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina (up to three), Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo, Georgia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Türkiye, and Ukraine will be covered by the Ministry of Finance of the Netherlands, the Ministry of Finance of the Slovakia, and Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of Slovenia.

Partners

This learning initiative is supported by: