By Kebba AF Touray
The Africa Tax Administration Forum (ATAF) has recently signed Memorandum of Understand October 29th 2018, signed a historical Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) in a bid to strengthen tax legislations in Africa and combat illicit financial flows (IFF).
According to the press released from ATAF Secretariat, the objective of the MOU was to join hands to strengthen tax legislations and improve domestic resources mobilization on the continent.
The released further stated that On the margin of the First ordinary session of the fifth parliament which took place this Monday 29 October 2018 at the Kigali Convention Centre in Rwanda, the Executive Secretary of the African Tax Administration Forum (ATAF) Logan Wort, and the Speaker of the Parliament Hon. Nkodo Dang, signed a five-year MoU to formalize cooperation between their respective institutions on tax policy and tax administration reforms on the continent.
The released also indicated that prior to the signing, Mr Wort was invited by the Hon. Speaker to make a presentation on the correlation between Illicit Financial Flows (IFFs) and Taxation and the collaborative role that their two institutions can play in addressing this issue on the continent.
These included capacity building and tax education for Members of Parliament through ATAF, a stronger advocacy role for Members of Parliament on tax issues and domestic resource mobilisation in national, regional and continental fora, in line with the African Union’s Agenda 2063, and the role of Parliamentarians in enacting sound national tax legislations, as well as collaborative tax research initiatives between PAP and ATAF.
ATAF, which has been endorsed by the African Union as the African voice on tax matters, considers sound domestic tax legislations and the development of expertise on tax treaties as key conditions for the implementation of effective tax reforms on the continent. It therefore views the PAP as a critical strategic partner given the oversight and advocacy roles of the Parliament.
According to the released the MoU comes just days after the 5th Ordinary General Assembly of ATAF in Gaborone, Botswana, where participants explored ways to move Africa beyond aid and is viewed by both signatories as a significant step towards stemming Illicit Financial Flows, improving Domestic Resource Mobilisation and funding Africa’s development.
The African Tax Administration Forum (ATAF) is an organisation which was established by African revenue authorities in 2009, in order to improve the performance of tax administrations in Africa. ATAF believes that better tax administration will enhance economic growth, increase accountability of the state to its citizens, and more effectively mobilise domestic resources. Now in its ninth year of operation and headquartered in Pretoria, ATAF seeks to Improve the capacity of African tax administrations to achieve their revenue objectives, advance the role of taxation in African governance and state building, provide a voice for African tax administrations and develop and support partnerships between African countries and development partners.
