ISLAMABAD: Finance Minister Ishaq Dar on Saturday said Pakistan’s fiscal regime stood strengthened by joining the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Multilateral Convention which would bring further transparency and openness in governance.
Chairing a meeting to review the steps being taken by the government to ensure good governance, improve transparency and to curb corruption, the minister said Pakistan had recently become a signatory to the OECD Multilateral Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters.
He said that inter-ministerial consultation should be undertaken to determine Pakistan’s readiness for accession to other international conventions and protocols which create transparency and openness in governance.
He said the OECD Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions and the Open Government Partnership (OGP), an initiative of the UK Government, should both be reviewed and recommendations should be made on Pakistan’s preparedness for joining these multilateral fora.
He said accession to the multilateral agreements would augment Pakistan’s efforts to combat fiscal crime and further strengthen its compliance framework on anti-corruption.
The minister directed that all necessary steps for joining both fora should be undertaken expeditiously.
The meeting was attended by Secretary Finance Dr Waqar Massod, Special Assistant to Finance Minister Tariq Pasha and other senior officials of the Finance Ministry.
