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| Wang
Jun was also in the Global Tax 50
2014 |
Wang Jun, China's tax minister, makes the Global Tax 50 for
the second year running, after another busy year for the
world's most populous country.
Wang oversaw the collection of around $2 trillion and was a
driving force in the upgrading and transformation of the
Chinese economy, despite having to battle against economic
turbulence.
The slowing down of the economy negatively impacted the
mobilisation of tax revenue, making Wang's job more difficult,
but – as one colleague at the State Administration of
Taxation (SAT) commented – he "stood against
unprecedented challenges, shouldered heavy responsibilities and
navigated the largest tax administration ship in the world
– 800,000 staff in total – through troubled
waters to enforce laws for the collection of tax while cutting
the burden on small enterprises and providing incentives to
spur innovation and employment".
Wang pushed forward the 'Tax Modernisation Campaign' and
brought technical standardisation to the taxpayer service
across the country, as well as following through on President
Xi Jinping's statements from the G20 Brisbane Summit calling
for strengthened international tax cooperation and greater
assistance to developing countries so they can enhance their
tax administration capacities. As part of this, Wang made an
offer to provide training for tax officials from developing
countries to help them deal with new international tax rules
post-BEPS.
To attract foreign investment, Wang simplified tax
compliance procedures for investors and made tax treaty
benefits more accessible. He reformed China's international tax
administration by setting up an organisation with
responsibility for tax administration on outbound investment,
which outpaced inbound investment in 2014, rising 14.1% to
$102.9 billion. He also set up a new division to lead China's
mutual agreement procedure (MAP) which will facilitate the
efficient resolution of international tax disputes.
Aside from collecting tax for the world's second largest
economy at a time when it is slowing down, during 2015 Wang has
overseen indirect tax changes in the shape of the business tax
to VAT (B2V) reform, won ratification for the Multilateral
Convention on Mutual Assistance in Tax Collection from Congress
in July and began to transform BEPS deliverables into domestic
regulations.
"I am honoured to serve my country as a commissioner at a
time when the world is in a critical moment of recovery and
China is in a critical period of transformation," Wang tells
ITR.
He has high hopes for 2016, both domestically and at a
global level, and says his sense of duty has not diminished as
he enters the fourth year of his term.
"When I heard the New Year Bell ring, I knew it was duty
calling me again. Lying ahead is a better China awaiting more
contributions and a brighter world shining hope for the souls
of the depressed," says Wang. "In the coming year, I will
definitely spare no efforts to push forward China's Tax
Modernisation Campaign while strengthening international tax
cooperation to facilitate global economic recovery."
His influence globally is set to increase again in 2016
through China's hosting of the G20 Summit and the plenary
meeting of the Forum on Tax Administration (FTA) in Beijing in
May. International tax reform will dominate the agenda for both
of those.
No matter how things play out under China's G20 and FTA
leadership, the smart money is already on Wang featuring in the
Global Tax 50 2016.