How’s the Tax Stamp Forum Shaping Up?

The programme for the Tax Stamp & Traceability Forum™ (TSTF) is busy taking shape, with the call for papers deadline coming up at the end of May.

The Forum will kick off with a workshop on the morning of Monday 2 October, on the theme of ‘What’s Next for the International Tax Stamp Standard?’.

The standard in question is ISO 22382:2018, ‘Guidelines for the content, security, issuance and examination of excise tax stamps’, which is now due for review.

The review process provides an opportunity for this guidance standard to be updated and improved upon as a result of user experiences over the five years since its publication. To this end, the International Tax Stamp Association, which contributed to the development of the standard, has launched a preliminary consultation with stakeholders to learn what they think about the standard and how they think it could be improved.

The Project Leader for the review is Ian Lancaster, who will also lead the TSTF workshop. He will present a draft of proposed amendments to ISO 22382 to the workshop attendees, so that they, too, have an opportunity to voice their views on what should be changed, taken out of, or added to the standard.

The workshop will also ask attendees to consider whether there should be a corollary compliance standard for tax stamp suppliers.

All stakeholders in the tax stamp environment – revenue agencies, tax stamp issuers, stamp producers and suppliers, component producers and tax stamp inspectors – should have their say, so come to this workshop to share your views and hear what others think about the next version of this important international standard.

Papers received so far

Some of the papers received so far, for presentation during the TSTF plenary sessions on 3 and 4 October, include the following: 

• An environmental scan – current issues and developments impacting tax and customs administrations, and how to leverage them to your advantage.

• The impact of tax stamps on excise tax revenue – the case of Ghana Revenue Authority.

• Experiences with counterfeits of digital security features – types of counterfeits found, ease of detection, and creating counterfeiter profiles.

• Implementing tax stamps using secure direct marking technology for the beverage industry.

• How is Panama – a strategic location and business hub for the Americas – tackling illicit trade?

The Tax Stamp & Traceability Forum™ takes place from 2-4 October 2023 in Tbilisi, Georgia. Watch this space for future updates, or visit www.taxstamptraceabilityforum.com.