Development Finance International
18-20 October– Seminar on Fiscal Space and Budget Planning, Vietnam
DFI facilitated and presented at a public conference and training seminar for central and decentralised government officials, thinktank policy experts and civil society representatives on Fiscal Space and Budget Planning, funded by Oxfam Vietnam and the Budget Training and Analysis Programme. Participants examined the availability of fiscal space in Vietnam, concluding that it mostly depends on increasing collection of income taxes and innovative taxes.
11 October - CSO Seminar: Are the IFIs and Governments Fighting Inequality?, Bali
DFI, the ITUC, New Rules for Global Finance and Oxfam co-sponsored a seminar in the Civil Society Policy Forum of the IMF and World Bank Meetings, analysing whether governments are taking the right measures to fight inequality, and whether the IFIs are supporting them in this effort. Held in Bali, Indonesia, the seminar launched two new policy reports: the DFI/Oxfam Commitment to Reducing Inequality Index 2018, which looks at policy measures being taken by governments and the 
New Rules DFI Report on Financial Impact and World Bank efforts to fight inequality.
The GFII report concludes that the IMF is making slow but inconsistent progress towards helping countries fight inequality more effectively, with its score rising from 2.7 to 2.85 out of 5. Since the last report, it has mainstreamed inequality in its country analysis and policy recommendations, but needs to apply this to all countries; scaled up its technical assistance to countries to help collect more (especially corporate and personal income) tax; and broadened its definition of key social spending beyond education and health.
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11 October – Francophone Finance Ministers Meet in Bali, Indonesia
DFI provided technical and logistical assistance to OIF in convening the meeting of Francophone Finance Ministers in Bali, in the margins of the decentralised Annual Meetings of the IMF and the World Bank. Chaired by Mrs Vonintsalama Andriambololona, Madagascar’s Minister of Finance and Budget, the meeting enabled all OIF member countries to hear the results of the work on development financing issues carried out by the Network of Finance Ministers from Francophone LICs.
9 October - New Commitment to Reducing Inequality Index Released in Bali
Today, DFI and Oxfam launched the new Commitment to Reducing Inequality Index (CRI) at the Annual Meetings of the IMF and the World Bank held in Bali, Indonesia. It was pre-launched at an Asia-focused event in Jakarta on 8th October.
Based on extensive data research and collection from DFI and input from Oxfam offices, the Index ranks 157 countries on their policies on social spending, tax, and labour rights - three areas critical to reducing inequality. This new edition boasts new sub-indicators focusing on the extent countries enable tax evasion, and on sexual
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18-21 September - Tax Treaties Workshop in Madagascar
DFI supported OIF in organising the fourth technical workshop of the Francophone LIC Finance Ministers’ Network. Held in Madagascar, the current chair of the Network, this four-day event focussed on the theme of tax treaties. Tax treaties (which are meant to help tax authorities collect tax without overtaxing companies and individuals) have too often become a means of diverting developing country tax revenues away to be paid in OECD countries, or of facilitating tax dodging.
