Muscat: The Sultanate’s Tax Authority signed an agreement with the Oman Governance and Sustainability Centre.

This first initiative of its kind comes in the implementation of the Royal directives of His Majesty Sultan Haitham Bin Tarik and in line with Oman Vision 2040’s approach for upgrading government service and boosting institutional performance.

It also seeks to lay down solid grounds and regulate the Tax Authority’s operations.

Besides raising the efficiency of the Tax Authority, the agreement will foster ties with the Ministry of Finance and other government departments concerned like the Ministry of Economy and parties with which the Tax Authority shares responsibilities.

Emphasis will be laid on providing the Tax Authority with professional ethics and policies of non-clash of interests, besides devising mechanisms of communication with stakeholders, gathering information and making them accessible to all, and laying down a proper structure for auditing and risk management.

Saud bin Nassir al-Shukaili, Chairman of the Tax Authority, said that the agreement reflects the Authority’s keenness to implement Oman Vision 2040, and thereby, establish grounds for a true application of governance and proper institutional performance that aims to upgrade the competence of government units and improve coordination, cooperation and confidence among them with the prime aim of attaining the goals of economic diversification and fiscal sustainability.

He added that the application of principles of governance and transparency comes on top of the Tax Authority’s priorities that contribute to the enhancement of confidence in the Authority.

On his turn, Sayyid Hamid bin Sultan al-Busaidi, CEO of the Governance and Sustainability Centre, said that the Tax Authority, by seeking to draft a governance document, becomes the first government organization to take such a step after the restructuring of the State’s Administrative Apparatus.

The Tax Authority will in turn impart awareness about the significance of governance in the government department.