In Skopje, in the period from 17 to 19 October 2023, a workshop was held on the topic "How compliance risk management processes affect tax morale".

The workshop was organized by the Public Revenue Office and the International Organization „Center of Excellence in Finance" - CEF, which is based in Ljubljana, Slovenia.

The event was opened by the Director of the Public Revenue Office, Ms.Sanja Lukarevska, and the Director of CEF, Ms.Jana Repanšek.

The Director of the Public Revenue Office, Ms. Sanja Lukarevska, clarified in her address that the Public Revenue Office uses a series of tools for the identification of taxpayers for timely, voluntary fulfillment of obligations, facilitation of procedures for registration, calculation, reporting, and payment of taxes. She emphasized that through cooperation with other international organizations and supporters, through projects and training, not only the processes but also the capacities of the tax administration, are improved and measures are implemented that will contribute in increasing tax morale. The main goal is a fair and efficient collection of taxes and other public levies with a high degree of voluntary compliance.

CEF’s Director Ms.Jana Repanšek, who addressed online, thanked Director Lukarevska for organizing the event and said that such events enable networking of tax administrations, and sharing knowledge, best practices, and experiences through CEF is key to the progress of tax administrations.

The workshop focused on the taxes in a different light. Instead of tax laws, procedures, deadlines, and tax returns, the topic of discussion was what affects social values, beliefs, and perceptions that lead to building the attitude and behavior of the individual according to the principle of solidarity and honest and responsible tax payment.
The workshop participants also got acquainted with the global and regional trends of tax morale, socio-economic and institutional factors, and the cultivation of a culture of compliance. Representatives from the Public Revenue Office, as hosts of the event, gave an explanation of how the Public Revenue Office contributes to building trust between the tax administration and taxpayers, as well as which are the activities and instruments undertaken by the institution in order to increase tax morale and raise tax awareness.

At the three-day workshop, special attention was paid to the role of risk management approaches for compliance, the tools that should be used in certain situations, and through improved processes to ensure fast and quality services and greater transparency.
The participants from Montenegro, Albania, Kosovo, Republic of Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Moldova, Armenia, Netherlands, Sweden, Mongolia, OECD, and representatives from the Public Revenue Office who shared their experiences, all agreed that the vision of all tax administrations is to create a society where everyone will pay its fair share.