3rd International Conference on Tax in Africa

ATAF International Conference on Tax in Africa (ICTA) is a bi-annual event in the ATAF Calendar.

The ICTA 2017 is the 3^rd Conference following on the 2^nd ICTA 2016 that was held in Lomé, Togo from under the theme “Tax Compliance and Limiting Illicit Financial Flows”.

The theme for ICTA 2017 is, “Building Strong Domestic Tax Regimes in Africa”.

The Conference will be held in Abuja, Nigeria from 26 – 28 September 2017.

Why Domestic Taxes?

ATAF has been heavily involved in the International tax arena in the recent past. The role of ATAF in the global scene on tax matters has made the African Voice heard in the G20/OECD Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) debate (2013 – 2015) with gains notably in the area of commodity pricing. The Post-BEPS implementation of the BEPS Actions has witnessed ATAF support member countries in formulation of policies leading to legislative amendments especially on the issue of Interest Deductibility provisions to address loopholes of base erosion.

Support to ATAF Members on Transfer Pricing in the International tax landscape has benefited members through ATAF Country programmes. Other global issues including Illicit Financial Flows have featured prominently in the ATAF discourse with members.

In line with the ATAF Council and General Assembly directive that focus should shift to domestic taxes, the need to delve into the realm of domestic taxes has motivated the ICTA 2017 theme. With the pressure on domestic revenue mobilization driven by the African Union Agenda 2063 and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Agenda 2030, domestic taxes offer an opportunity to the African tax administrations to mobilize revenues within their borders.

Value Added Tax (VAT) is administered in 44 of the 54 African countries and is seen as the tax of the future as it has a broad base and therefore, needs review of processes for effectiveness and efficiency in its administrations. Corporate Income Tax (CIT), Personal Income Tax (PIT including PAYE and withholding tax) are also key contributors to domestic revenue. These taxes have a quicker turn-around time as compared to complex and time consuming international tax cases and can readily contribute to financing recurrent budgets of the African continent.

Building strong domestic tax regimes will help build strong revenue base for a stronger economic base, thus the theme, “Building Strong Domestic Tax Regimes in Africa”.