Tax bodies to improve compliance

Representatives from over 30 tax bodies, members of the African Tax Administration Forum (ATAF), have vowed to improve tax compliance in their respective countries. The group had been attending a one-week forum in Kigali on streamlining tax administration. “I thank both OECD and ATAF for organizing this wonderful conference because I believe that the knowledge and skills they have attained here will enable them to improve what has not been going on well as regards to tax administration in their respective countries,” said Eugene Torero, the Deputy Commissioner of Rwanda Revenue Authority (RRA), while closing the seminar. He noted that the seminar will enable participants improve risk management and tax compliance and share their good experiences which enable them to benchmark the good practices. Matthijs Alink, a Senior Advisor, Global Relations Division centre for Tax Policy and Administration said that there was need for strong focus on the needs of tax payers and the structure of tax administration which is a tool that enables tax administrations achieve their goals and that is one of the lessons we have been giving the participants. He added that participants were taught how to promote client treatment, design tax payers’ programs based on their needs, and to also seek feedback from tax payers and other stakeholders in order to make sure that they provide the right and best services to the beneficiaries. “In the past we used to use harsh words towards tax payers through the tax laws but now we have learnt that we need to talk to them in a politer manner so that we increase tax compliance,” Seck-Mamadou, a participant from Senegal said. “This is a good platform where we share ideas and learn lessons from fellow African countries in a bid to increase collection of domestic resources”. The workshop was organized by ATAF in collaboration with Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). It was aimed at streamlining tax management and finding solutions to various common challenges faced by their tax administrations. The forum that was launched in Uganda last year comprises 36 member countries. Ends