Governments across the African continent are investing heavily in digital transformation and have made huge progress in the past decade. Many core functions such as tax filing and payment are fully digitised in many contexts. The development of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) has been key to support this transformation, including its three pillars of digital ID, digital payments and data exchange. The potential benefits of DPIs to strengthen tax administration are profound, as governments are better able to identify new taxpayers (especially those with high revenue potential), to use data to guide enforcement efforts, and to facilitate compliance through digital tools.
Yet, the DIGITAX research programme, delivered the IDS-led International Centre for Tax and Development (ICTD), also highlighted at least three challenges that need to be overcome to unlock the full potential of digitisation:
- integrating digital tools effectively into core administrative functions
- building appropriate frameworks and systems for data exchange
- expanding access to and coverage of digital tools.
A two-day conference in Kigali, Rwanda (also livestreamed on YouTube), entitled Towards a Digital Tax Administration: lessons learnt and directions for reform is bringing together the community of researchers, practitioners, and experts working on digitisation in tax administration. It will combine high-level policy panels with research panels diving into the empirical evidence from across Africa that underpins them.
Co-hosted by ICTD and the Rwanda Revenue Authority, the conference will look in detail at the practicalities if digitisation such as data management, data governance, digital inclusion, data quality, data exchange systems and digital payments.
It’s keynote panel will look more broadly Digital Public Infrastructure and its potential for tax administration.
Speakers on keynote panel
- James Stewart, Partner & CTO, Public Digital
- Ntare Niyomugabo, Chief Technology Officer, RSwitch
- Mary Baine, Tax Programmes Director, African Tax Administration Forum (ATAF)
- Israel Bimpe, CEO Irembo
Watch online
This event is being livstreamed on YouTube.
Key contacts
