Seychelles through the Seychelles Revenue Commission (SRC) has launched its third Tax Inspectors Without Borders (TIWB) programme, a joint initiative of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
The one-year programme launched virtually today, aims to further build SRC’s tax audit capacity in transfer pricing through hands-on technical assistance to improve taxpayers compliance and domestic revenue mobilization.
Two tax experts from the Egyptian Tax Authority, a partner administration of the TIWB are currently in Seychelles to assist the SRC with the technical know-how, transfer of knowledge and best-practices in transfer pricing audits.
During the virtual launch, Mr. Ben Dickinson, Deputy Director of the Centre of Tax Policy and Administration at the OECD, welcomed the participants and underlined the initiative’s commitment to strengthening tax administrations technical skills by saying: “Robust technical expertise in international taxation and transfer pricing is critical, as it equips audit teams to identify high-risk transactions, enhance audit effectiveness, and safeguard countries’ rightful revenues.”
The SRC’s Commissioner General, Mrs. Varsha Singh emphasized that: “This partnership is central to our strategy to boost domestic resource mobilization. By refining our expertise in audit, we are contributing to national development while fostering a culture of fair tax compliance.”
Alka Bhatia UNDP Resident Representative commented: “Through the Tax Inspectors Without Borders initiative, UNDP is proud to support the Seychelles Revenue Commission strengthen national capacity to address complex tax issues, while reinforcing transparency, compliance, and sustainable public finance management.
“It reflects our continued commitment to supporting Seychelles advance fairness, equity and inclusivity in its approach to sustainable development”.
The SRC started receiving technical support in transfer pricing from TIWB in 2021 with the government of India being the first partner administration, followed in 2024 by the TIWB Criminal Investigation (TIWB-CI) Programme supported by Australia as the partner administration.
TIWB-CI brought together key stakeholders within the financial sector under the concept of ‘a whole government approach’ to boost financial crimes investigation capabilities and enhance transparency.
The TIWB programme plays a pivotal role in strengthening tax administration capacities, through their pool of qualified tax experts deployed to jurisdictions supporting real-case collaboration.
The SRC remains thankful to TIWB, OECD and UNDP for the collaborations established and for the ongoing support to empower the Seychelles revenue administration to utilize its resources effectively, to expand its fiscal environment.