The Tax Policy Working Group (GTPT, by its Spanish acronym) is composed of officials from the Ministries of Finance of COSEFIN member countries whose areas of responsibility within their institutions is directly related to taxation.

The functional areas represented within the GTPT may include but are not limited to: Directorates of fiscal analysis and policy; Directorates of domestic taxes; Directorates of tax auditing; Tax departments; General Directorates of revenue; General directorates of tax policy and legislation, among others.

The GTPT provides a space for discussion and exchange of experiences in tax policy matters and promotes good practices in this field.

The Grupo de Trabajo Presupuesto Públicos (GTPP) is composed of Budget Directors or their equivalents in the finance ministries of the COSEFIN member countries. The GTPP works to promote common budget mechanisms and harmonize budget guidelines on issues of interest to COSEFIN, such as Climate Finance (e.g., Climate Budget Classifiers) and Results-Based Budgeting with a Gender Perspective, among others.

The Public Credit and Investment Working Group (GTCIP, by its Spanish acronym) is composed of Directors of Public Credit or Public Investment, or officials explicitly designated for purposes related to these areas. One of the main objectives of the GTCIP is to identify potential public investment projects with a regional scope (bilateral or broader) and to explore mechanisms for their implementing.

The Public Finance Statistics Working Group (GTEFP, by its Spanish acronym) is composed of representatives from the seven Ministries/Secretariats of Finance in the region; the Executive Secretariat of the Council of Ministers of Finance of Central America, Panama, and the Dominican Republic (SECOSEFIN); the six central banks of the region; the Executive Secretariat of the Central American Monetary Council (SECMCA); and the National Institute of Statistics and Census (INEC) of Panama; with technical support from the International Monetary Fund’s Regional Technical Assistance Center for Central America, Panama, and the Dominican Republic (CAPTAC-DR).

One of the main achievements of the GTEFP is the compilation of Harmonized Public Finance Statistics for Central America, Panama, and the Dominican Republic. This effort contributes to improving the quality of fiscal and public debt statistics analysis, based on the most up-to-date international standards, and provides methodologically comparable indicators across the seven countries. To achieve this objective, a work plan for the period 2018–2023 was defined, based on the most recent global analytical framework: the Government Finance Statistics Manual 2014. The Manual is available at the following link: https://www.imf.org/external/Pubs/FT/GFS/Manual/2014/GFSM_2014_SPA.pdf

The statistics derived from the efforts of the GTEFP are used to analyze the size of government, its contribution to aggregate demand, as well as investment and savings. They also make it possible to assess the impact of fiscal policy on the economy, including indicators such as public debt, the fiscal balance, the tax burden, and the composition of public debt, among others. In addition, the GTEFP provides data on key topics such as fiscal rules, public deficits, the evaluation of the quality of spending on poverty reduction, the sustainability of fiscal policy, and issues related to the redistribution of national wealth.

The statistics produced by GTEFP are traditionally published on the SECMCA website and result from structured work. They may present methodological differences

compared to the national figures currently published by each country. In this regard, GTEFP continues working toward the harmonization of public finance statistics in the region, with the expectation that, in the medium term, through a data integration platform developed by SECOSEFIN, this information will be consolidated and made available to the general public.

The Information Technology Working Group (GTTIC, by its Spanish acronym) is composed of managers, directors or heads of Information Technology departments. It focuses on the exchange of experiences on technological solutions, system interoperability, information security and the implementation of digital tools that optimize efficiency and transparency in the Tax Administrations of the COSEFIN region.

The Legal Advisory Working Group (GTAJ, by its Spanish acronym) is composed of legal advisors or experts from the different legal departments within the Ministries of Finance. Its purpose is to support the tax administrations of COSEFIN member countries in the interpretation and application of tax, budgetary, and public financial management regulations. Its work is essential to ensuring compliance with national and international legal frameworks, as well as to facilitating knowledge of reforms and best practices in the legal field relevant to the Ministries of Finance.

The Treasury Working Group (GTT, by its Spanish acronym) is composed of treasurers from the Finance Ministries of COSEFIN member countries. Its objective is to strengthen the treasury management in the region by promoting modernization and efficiency in the administration of public resources. It addresses issues related to the centralization of funds, payments optimization, and cash management, in coordination with the budget, accounting, and public credit systems, with the aim of enhancing transparency and the overall management of public finances in member countries.