Legal Service Directorate

Duties and Responsibilities of Legal Service Directorate of Ministry of Finance and Economic-Cooperation

• Prepares draft financial customs and tax laws regulations and directives that are in line with government policies and contribute to   the mobilization of resources for development and investment.

• Provides Legal advice on finance administration, customs and tax laws to different stake holders and clients.
• Provides legal opinions and explanations on different Legal issues arising in the course of implementation of tax and financial administration laws; prepare research based draft amendments to the already existing tax and financial administration laws.
• Prepares agreements involving cancellation or rescheduling of debt owed to multilateral or bilateral creditors or reviews agreements prepared by others.
• Prepares different draft contracts to which the Ministry is a party, and   provide Legal opinions on draft contracts prepared by other contracting parties
• Prepares or reviews and participate in the negotiation of loan and grant agreements   which the Ministry concludes with different multilateral or bilateral institutions.
• Prepares,  reviews   and negotiates double taxation avoidance agreements   which the Ministry concludes with different governments.
• Prepares explanatory notes for ratification of tax, customs and financial administration proclamations and international  agreements signed by the Ministry.
• Provides legal opinion on bilateral frame work cooperation agreements.
• Provides legal opinion on individual   project agreements based on   bilateral frame- work cooperation agreements.
• Participates through expenditure management and control programme in the endeavor to reform the country's finance administrations.
• Translates different legal documents from Amharic to English and Vice Versa.
• Prepares model tax and customs laws, financial laws regulations and directives, and   provide other   technical assistance for regional governments.
•  Conducts study on compensation issues and submit negotiation proposals, negotiate and execute the agreement when agreement is reached.
•  Conducts study and submit recommendation on set-off claims in connection with nationalized properties and executes the decision.
•  Represents the Ministry, on litigations to which the ministry is party.