Revenue administrators from 32 African countries have resolved to share information so as to stop the continued hiding of assets by several individuals and businesses with intent to dodge taxes.
This was reached in the three-day ATAF/Global Forum Joint Regional Workshop on Cross-border Assistance in the Recovery of Tax Claims that started in Kampala on Monday and ended on Wednesday.
During the workshop, the delegates agreed to strengthen asset recovery measures in other contexts such as anti-money laundering and anti-corruption contexts.
Ephraim Murenzi, the ATAF Specialist on Exchange of Information, reckoned that both ATAF and Global Forum acknowledge the efforts by tax administrators in Africa to enforce domestic laws and recover relevant taxes but however noted that these efforts cannot bear fruits unless there is enhanced cooperation through exchange of information and other administrative assistance in tax matters.
This stance was shared by Ervice Tchouata, a Senior Tax Policy Advisor who noted that Africa needs to keep strengthening the exchange of information framework to enhance her administrative capabilities.
John R Musinguzi, the Commissioner General of URA, said some non-compliant taxpayers are taking advantage of lack of cooperation between countries to shift capital from one state to another with little to no detection.
“I am afraid, they (non-compliant taxpayers) can no longer succeed with this as long as we choose this path of information exchange where we are able to prevent these moves and recover revenue,” he said.
“The time is now for Africa to rise to ensure we collect at least 20% of our GDP so we can take our citizens into the era of self-sufficiency,” he added.
