Hon. Dr. Samuel Joseph Presently Attending Commonwealth Tax and Public Spending Workshop in London, UK

Member of Parliament in the British Overseas Territory of Montserrat, Hon. Dr. Samuel Joseph, is presently in London, UK, at a Commonwealth Tax and Public Spending Workshop, running from Dec 4- 7, 2017.

The purpose of the 3-day Commonwealth workshop for Public Accounts Committees (PACs) is to promote tax transparency, prevent tax avoidance and to examine government’s spending of public monies.

This year's Workshop will be bringing together over 60 chairs, members and clerks of PACs from across the Commonwealth to offer practical and interactive sessions at the Houses of Parliament.

The skills-based workshop, which Hon Joseph is attending has been organised by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association UK (CPA UK), and is aimed at further building knowledge and capacity, and will include a Tax Transparency Workshop by the OECD.

The final day will be dedicated to the 1st Annual Conference of the Commonwealth Association of Public Accounts Committees (CAPAC), a committee designed to strengthen good governance.

Chair of the UK Public Accounts Committee, Meg Hillier said:

“The 2017 Westminster Workshop provides a unique opportunity for public accounts committees to discuss common challenges and experiences.

“I am pleased to see so many commonwealth PACs working together to strengthen and improve their Committee so taxpayers get the best value for money of public spending.”

Deputy Director of the OECD, Grace Perez-Navarro said:

“Good governance requires a good use of public money which is why I am pleased to be a part of the 2017 Westminster Workshop on Public Accounts Committees.”

Strengthening Commonwealth Public Accounts Committees
The Workshop follows on from a series of recent programmes to strengthen PACs in Commonwealth countries including Ghana and Montserrat will also have representatives participating in the Workshop.

Public Accounts Committees are aimed at examining public spending to ensure taxpayers money is spent effectively and efficiently.

After the agreement of the 2015 Addis Ababa Action Agenda (AAAA), parliamentarians and policymakers nationally and internationally have become increasingly focused on strengthening tax policies and frameworks as a key means of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

CPA UK has supported the establishment of the Association throughout its initial formation period and has run the CAPAC Coordinating Unit (CCU) until January 2016. Currently, the CCU is hosted by the Parliament of Malta.