Representatives of the European Commission and the international Monetary Fund (IMF) met on 14 March 2016 to discuss strengthening their partnership in areas such as mobilizing domestic revenue. In the next few months the two organizations are holding a seminar on Collect More – Spend better: the role of capacity development and a conference entitled: Collect More – Spend Better: Facing the challenges of the 2030 agenda.

The two organizations are developing diagnostic assessment tools including the Tax Administration Diagnostic Assessment Tool (TADAT) and the Public Expenditure Financial Accountability framework. TADAT works by evaluating the tax administration in of nine Performance Outcome Areas including taxpayer registration, compliance, risk management, revenue management, accountability and tax dispute resolution. A score is given for each dimension and the dimensions for each indicator are aggregated, to form the score for the indicators that helps to diagnose problems in tax administration.

The two organizations agreed at the 14 March meeting to adopt a harmonized approach on capacity development, facilitate dialogue on joint priorities, focus on results and help to streamline the programming and implementation of procedures. The development cooperation will be delivered through Regional Technical Assistance Centers.

A new Public Financial Management Partnership Program will build close collaboration between the institutions with the aim of assisting countries to build stronger public finance management systems. There will also be a range of global initiatives to support the implementation of the Addis Ababa Action Agenda and the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. These will include cooperation in respect of revenue mobilization and managing natural resources wealth as well as TADAT.