Union Minister of Finance & Corporate Affairs Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman inaugurated the BRICS Heads of Tax Authorities Meeting in New Delhi today, as the culmination of India’s BRICS Chairship of the tax cooperation track. The meeting was also addressed by the Union Finance Minister, Union Minister of State for Finance Shri Pankaj Chaudhary, and Revenue Secretary Shri Arvind Shrivastava.

The meeting was attended by Shri Ravi Agrawal, Chairman, CBDT, Shri Prasenjit Singh, Member (Legislation), CBDT, other Members of CBDT, and senior officers of the Department of Revenue (DoR). The meeting, hosted by the Central Board of Direct Taxes, Ministry of Finance, Government of India, brought together the Heads of Tax Authorities of the BRICS member countries. Representatives from ten BRICS tax administrations - Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates - came together at one place to share their experiences and discuss emerging challenges through cooperation and collaboration.

In her address on the occasion, Smt. Sitharaman highlighted technology, administration and people as the three recurring themes of BRICS tax cooperation during India’s Chairship. She emphasised the role of data and digital infrastructure in making tax administration more precise and accessible, the importance of durable institutional mechanisms and practical tools that can sustain cooperation beyond individual Chairships, and the value of investing in people and building professional relationships across tax administrations. She also underscored that the perspectives of BRICS economies are essential to ensuring the fairness and durability of ongoing multilateral tax negotiations, including the negotiations on the UN Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation.

The meeting formally adopted several landmark outcomes. Two new Working Groups on International Taxation and Transfer Pricing, and on Revenue Statistics, were established. Both will be led by India, creating sustained institutional platforms that will continue regardless of the Chairship. The first-ever in-person BRICS Young Tax Professionals Capacity Building Programme, held at the National Academy of Direct Taxes, Nagpur in April 2026, was institutionalised as an annual feature of BRICS tax cooperation. The BRICS Tax Cross-Learning Lab was formally launched, integrating the work of the Client-Centric Administration and HR Practices Working Groups into a joint peer-learning platform. The Terms of Reference of the BRICS Tax Support Network was also approved.

The meeting concluded with the formal signing of the BRICS Tax Progress Report 2026, the complete record of India’s Chairship of the BRICS Tax track. The People’s Republic of China was welcomed as the incoming Chair of the BRICS tax cooperation track for 2027.

The Heads of Tax Authorities lauded the Government of India for the successful organisation of the meeting and for the quality and depth of India’s Chairship of the BRICS tax track.

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SR/KMN

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