GFDD/Funglode to Host a UN Side Event on the Challenges and Scope of the 2012 Tax Reforms in the Dominican Republic

Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (GFDD) and its sister organization Fundación Global Democracia y Desarollo (Funglode) will be hosting a panel discussion on tax reform as a trigger for development, as part of the official launch of the in-house publication entitled “The 2012 Dominican Tax Reform in Historical and Regional Context” by Dr. James Mahon, GFDD Fellow and Woodrow Wilson Professor of Political Science at Williams College,
Massachusetts. The panel discussion and presentation of Dr. Mahon’s work will take place as a side event during the Special Meeting of the Economic and Social Council on International Cooperation in Tax Matters (the Special Meeting) on Wednesday April 22, 2015 from 3:00 pm to 4.30:00 pm in Conference Room 12 of the General Assembly Building at United Nations Headquarters, in New York City.

During the panel, Dr. Mahon, together with several distinguished participants including Mr. Guarocuya Félix, General Director of Internal Revenue of the Dominican Republic, Ms. Gail Hurley, UNDP Policy Expert and Financing and H.E. Mr. Ronald Jean Jumeau, Ambassador of the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Seychelles on Climate Change and SIDS Issues, for Development, will take an in-depth
look at the issue of tax reform, to provide general remarks on its importance as a spur to sustained development of developing countries.

About the Special Meeting
The Special Meeting is a one-day meeting to consider international cooperation in tax matters including, as appropriate, its contribution to mobilizing domestic financial resources for development and the institutional arrangements to promote such cooperation, with the
participation of representatives of national tax authorities.

About Dr. James E. Mahon
Dr. James Mahon conducted research through the Fellows Program in 2013-14. He is a Professor of Political Science and Political Economy at Williams College in Williamston, Massachusetts, and a researcher at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington, DC. During his fellowship with GFDD/FUNGLODE he conducted research on the political economy of tax reform in
the Dominican Republic under the guidance of Germania Montás, former deputy director general of the Dirección General de Impuestos Internos (DGII). Prior to his fellowship, he presented several publications that include the book Mobile Capital and Latin American Development (Penn State Press, 1996), an article on the causes of tax reform in the Latin American Research Review, 2004, and a working paper titled Tax Incidence and Tax Reforms in Latin America.

In 2012, a
fiscal reform took place in the Dominican Republic which had great impact in civil society and the future of fiscal policy formation.  In 2013, during his first trip to the Dominican Republic with the Fellows Program, Dr. Mahon presented his first paper related to this topic titled La tributación en la República Dominicana y la reforma de noviembre de 2012 en el contexto regional y global. The newest version of this project focuses on the role of civil society and
the corporate sector in the tax reform process.

About InteRDom and Fellow Program
Established in 2005 by GFDD and FUNGLODE, InteRDom has since become the leading internship, research and academic study program in the Dominican Republic. It fosters and promotes professional, academic, scientific, technological and cultural exchange of students and professionals in public, private and non-profit organizations of the Dominican Republic. As an
extension of InteRDom, the Fellows Program was designed to respond to the desire of GFDD and FUNGLODE to develop a community of scholars that contributes to the Foundations’ growing body of research on matters of international concern that directly impact the Dominican Republic. In addition, through the Fellows Program, the Organizations seek to generate scholarship on issues at the forefront of the United Nations’ agenda in order to give voice to national and regional
concerns and offer viable solutions to domestic and international challenges.

For more information please contact mjourdan@globalfoundationdd.org,
Phone: +1 212 751 5000

RSVP is indispensable for those without UN Passes.

Related Links:
http://www.drfellowsprogram.org/