THE government has reiterated its commitment to cooperate with other African nations in promoting sustainable development and enhancing tax administration.
Vice-President Dr Philip Mpango made the assurance on Tuesday this week in Dar es Salaam by in his speech read by Minister for Education, Science and Technology, Prof Adolf Mkenda when gracing 8th African Tax Research Network (ATRN) Annual Congress.
The three-day ATRN congress under African Tax Administration Forum (ATAF) is hosted by the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) and supported by GIZ.
The Forum brings together academicians, researchers, decision makers, tax experts and consultants to discuss the progress made, challenges and possible new direction for African tax policy and administration with the aim of facilitating African capacity for credible research in tax policy, administration, law and leadership.
“Tanzania will remain fully committed to collaborate with other African nations to promote sustainable development and enhance tax administration,” Dr Mpango said.
The Vice-President said the congress under the theme; ‘contemporary taxation issue in Africa’ has come at the right time, since it will help to mobilise much needed revenue through the best tax policies and sound tax administration.
He further said the forum was a platform for the countries to discuss areas of various critical taxation contemporary issues that are shaping the future of Africa.
In a related development, Dr Mpango commended the ATAF and the TRA for partaking and making the congress success.
On her part, Chairperson of the ATRN Advisory Board and Acting Head of Taxation Department at the University of Pretoria, Prof Annet Oguttu, urged the tax academics and researchers to conduct more comparative studies on tax issues with other African countries not only with developed countries.
“Without conducting research, we will not be able to understand the multifaceted tax problems we face; we won’t be able to develop the sustainable fiscal policies to address our problem and to find the right tax administrative strategies to collect revenue,” Prof Oguttu added.
“Developed countries have long understood the value of research and their budgets are heavily focused on funding research. We need to take ownership of the plight of African tax research, ” he added.
Prof Ogutu also called on the policy makers and tax administrators to recognise that solid tax expertise on the continent is steadily rising and that they should begin trusting African tax researchers to conduct commissioned tax work for their institutions.
Earlier, when giving the remark, Executive Secretary for ATAF, Mr Logan Wort commended Tanzania for its efforts in supporting domestic revenue mobilisation and the fight against illicit trade on the African continent.
“I wish to specifically appreciate the Tanzania Revenue Authority, under the leadership of the Commissioner General, Mr Alphayo Kidata, for always supporting ATAF in its quest to improve tax revenue mobilisation on the continent,” he emphasised.
