Established in 1970, SGATAR is the acronym for the “Study Group on Asian Tax Administration and Research.” The Philippines, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam were the founding members of SGATAR.

           SGATAR is an international tax research institution, organized by tax administrators in the Asia-Pacific region, and now has a membership of 16. Meetings of SGATAR are convened on an annual basis and are hosted by members by rotation. The institution was established with the aim of aiding tax administrative reform through the sharing of information and insights in regard to specific tax issues and also to facilitate the alignment of operations in the various tax systems in the Asia-Pacific region in order to foster a tax regime favorable to the smooth development of trade and investment.