On the 30th of January the Latvian government approved Baiba Šmite-Roķe as the new Director Generao of the State Revenue Service (VID).
Šmite-Roķe will take office on the 13th of February.
On the 12th of February 2024 the contract with current VID Director General Ieva Jaunzeme will officially end.
On the 5th of October 2023 the State Chancellery announced an open personnel selection procedure to find a new head for VID. In accordance with the Law on the State Revenue Service, candidates for the post of the head of VIT are approved for a five-year term following a recommendation from the minister of finance.
The personnel selection procedure concluded on the 18th of December 2023. Considering the results of the interview and assessment of contenders’ skills, members of the committee decided to submit Šmite-Roķe and Vita Narnicka as two prominent candidates to the minister of finance for approval.
The minister interviewed the two candidates about their overall competence, strategic vision for the development of VID, plans to make processes more efficient and create one of the most effective tax and customs administrations in Europe.
In the end the minister decided in favour of Šmite-Roķe.
On the 12th of January Minister of Finance Arvils Ašeradens announced that he supports Šmite-Roķe for approval as the new VID Director General.
The minister said this candidate’s prior work experience has allowed her to study and understand VID duties. During the selection process it became clear that she clearly sees this institution’s priorities. In the near future it is planned to implement a reform in VID to perform changes to the service’s organisational structure.
This means Šmite-Roķe and the entire VID team will need to work on restoring trust in the service, improving customer service and digitising services in order to become one of the most efficient tax and customs administrations in Europe, said Ašeradens.
Šmite-Roķe told LETA that she fully supports Ašeradens’ vision for VID’s reorganisation, and she plans to focus on it. She stressed that VID needs to be remade into a client-oriented institution that is based on digital services, improving its reputation among residents while also continuing efforts to battle grey economy.
“I too would like to see VID as a modern, digitally developed and client-oriented institution to make it the most modern state administration institution in Latvia and one of the most effective tax and customs administrations in Europe,” said Šmite-Roķe.
She added that starting next week she will be open to discussions with political parties and discussions with society.
Šmite-Roķe has worked in VID since 2000. In 2015 she became the head of VID Excise Goods Movement Department. Since 2020 Šmite-Roķe has worked in VID as deputy director of the Tax Administration. In May 2023 she started performing duties as this department’s director.
The Cabinet of Minister plans to review Šmite-Roķe’s candidacy for the post of Director General of VID before the end of January.
Also read: Corruption in Latvia is going down, but the rate is slow
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