Critical to successful tax reform is the need to have more effective coordination among relevant agencies, such as departments within ministries of finance, foreign investment promotion agencies and local governments. Greater use of information technology in tax administration also matters, especially its capacity to help increase tax compliance through risk-based auditing and third-party information sharing. However, excluding Japan, growth slowed from 6.2% in 2014 to 5.7% in 2015, mainly due to declining merchandise exports as a result of an economic growth moderation in China and tepid global demand.