The Federal Tax Service of Russia hosted a BRICS Tax Support Network Working Group meeting that gathered senior tax officials and policy analysts from the bloc to discuss collaborative initiatives aimed at harmonising tax administration practices. The agenda covered a wide spectrum of topics, including the digitalisation of tax processes, the harmonisation of value‑added tax (VAT) collection mechanisms, and the sharing of technical expertise on audit methodologies. Russian experts demonstrated recent upgrades to their taxpayer services portal, which now incorporates multilingual support, AI‑driven query resolution, and real‑time access to fiscal data for both domestic and foreign entities. Delegates from China and India presented complementary reforms designed to streamline customs‑tax integration, while Brazil highlighted efforts to simplify tax filing for small‑and medium‑sized enterprises. A key outcome of the meeting was the endorsement of a joint action plan that outlines concrete steps for capacity‑building workshops, shared training curricula, and a pilot exchange programme for tax auditors. The plan also earmarks funding for joint research on cross‑border taxation of digital services, with the objective of reducing compliance burdens and fostering a more predictable fiscal environment for multinational corporations operating within the BRICS economic space.
