African Tax Administrators harp on taxation with human face

African Tax Administrators have called for better ways of collecting taxes without hurting businesses and individuals.

This was part of the discussions at the ongoing 7th African Tax Administration Forum (ATAF) General Assembly and other ancillary meetings in Lagos, hosted by the Federal Government of Nigeria through the Federal Inland Revenue Service ( FIRS).

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Senior tax officials from 40 African Countries, including tax practitioners and representatives of multilateral agencies and other regional tax organisations are attending the conference with the theme: “Rethinking Revenue Strategies: The Human Face of Taxation”

The Chairman FIRS, Mohammad Nami, in his opening remark, said the intersection between provision of the much needed resources to fund  government’s expenditure as tax administrators, while showing empathy for the burdens citizens face makes the theme of the 7th ATAF General Assembly apt.

According to him, the unprecedented global shocks in 2020 occasioned by COVID-19 are currently made worse by the Russia-Ukraine war.

“These unfortunate incidents have placed a significant burden on all Revenue Authorities in Africa of having to devise innovative means and adopt new strategies that are less dependent on external economic factors to fund the rising budgetary needs of the Government at all levels.

“In addition to this situation is the challenge posed by the digital economy, where business transactions have moved from the brick-and-mortar model to the digital space, thereby creating emerging issues in the tax ecosystem for developing African countries.

“Therefore, effective and efficient Domestic Revenue Mobilisation has become more critical and urgent than before as tax revenue is the most sustainable source of financing development globally,” he said.

Lagos State Governor Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, urged participants to ensure that take-aways from their deliberations will prove invaluable towards bridging the revenue gap in a work saddled with both unquenchable taste and diminishing resources.

Sanwo-Olu, who was represented by the Chairman, Lagos State Internal Revenue Service (LIRS) Mr. Ayodele Subair, observed that Lagos as the centre of excellence is experiencing transformational infrastructural projects that will improve the quality of lives of citizens.

On his part, the Chairman ATAF, Dr. Philippe Kokou Tchodie expressed gratitude to the FIRS and the Nigerian government for their cooperation and hospitality in accommodating the 7th General Assembly. He harped on the role of taxation in achieving sustainable development on the African continent.

The African Tax Administration Forum is an organization of 40 member nations which provides a platform for cooperation among African tax authorities. Through mutual cooperation between the members, ATAF works towards increasing the level of voluntary tax compliance whilst combating tax evasion and avoidance.