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Showing 1-12 of 54 Blogs
Nairobi skyline at sunset with a billboard that says eTims and features a woman in a red dress.
August 2023|
Blog

Kenya is going digital to boost tax revenue – there are lessons to learn from other African countries

by Celeste Scarpini & Fabrizio Santoro

Many African tax authorities have weak capacity to raise revenue. From 1990 to 2020, sub-Saharan African…

Screenshot of home page of the digital financial services (DFS) tax map website
July 2023|
Blog

ICTD’s new web portal on taxation of digital financial services in Africa

by Awa Diouf & Hannelore Niesten

Across Africa, the rapid growth of digital financial services (DFS) has led to increased interest in effectively taxing these services. The DFS TaxMap is a dynamic web portal in English and French tracking the diverse approaches to DFS taxation….

Tax official registers a female small business owner on the street
July 2023|
Blog

Helping Politicians to Break Bad Tax Habits

by Mick Moore

Politicians have many bad tax habits. These include using tax inspections to punish political opponents; ensuring…

Scenes from a busy street in Kigali, Rwanda.
July 2023|
Blog

Electronic tax administration: Insights from Rwanda where manual practices persist

by Fabrizio Santoro & Kelbesa Megersa

The Rwandan government has been trying to digitalise the economy since 2015, however new evidence from ICTD reveals that not all are on board….

Man working at computer
May 2023|
Blog

The promise and limitations of information technology for tax mobilisation

by Oyebola Okunogbe, Fabrizio Santoro & Celeste Scarpini

As digital technologies continue to gain momentum in lower-income countries, tax authorities are increasingly adopting technology solutions to improve their core functions and to collect revenue more efficiently….

A nigerian man counting money
April 2023|
Blog

Tackling the hidden costs of taxation: Can digitalisation help?

by Adrienne Lees

Non-compliance can be down to more than just intentional evasion – taxpaying can be time-consuming, complicated and costly. Tackling compliance costs can help. For many countries, digitalisation is top of the list….

Mobile money agent in Zanzibar, Tanzania
April 2023|
Blog

How do taxes affect the price of digital financial services?

by Hannelore Niesten & Awa Diouf

How the interplay between DFS pricing and taxation affects the cost of DFS, and why transparency and competition are crucial for a well-functioning market….

Hands of two african individuals doing financial transaction with a point of sales POS terminal as Cash, Naira, Money or currency is changing hands
April 2023|
Blog

Can real-time electronic invoicing fix VAT’s problem?

by Adrienne Lees

VAT’s self-enforcement mechanism is powerful and also its greatest weakness. In Rwanda, China and Ethiopia, e-invoicing systems show promising early results in improving enforcement and compliance….

Photo of man texting on mobile phone
February 2023|
Blog

Taxes on digital financial services in Africa – An unlevel playing field

by Hannelore Niesten

Taxing transactions made via digital financial services differently from those made via traditional banking services can…

blurred man holding his ID in focus to the camera.
November 2022|
Blog

Identity issues: Four challenges for digital IDs in Africa’s tax systems

by Fabrizio Santoro, Moyo Arewa & Celeste Scarpini

From streamlining primary healthcare to amplifying agricultural outcomes, digital IDs matter. Here are some of the reasons why……

flags of East African Community countries
September 2022|
Blog

Mobile-money taxation in East Africa: Harmonisation or laissez-faire?

by Hannelore Niesten

Regional tax harmonisation is controversial, with compelling arguments for and against. Is it desirable? Or beneficial? And if so, to whom?…

elderly african woman and young black man using phone and credit card
August 2022|
Blog

Ghana’s new e-levy: the sour, sweet and switches so far

by Fabrizio Santoro, Mary Abounabhan & Awa Diouf

Introduced in May 2022, Ghana’s e-levy is a 1.5 per cent tax on the transfer amount of electronic transactions. The objective is to improve tax revenues by tapping into fast-growing digital financial services (DFS). However, many exemptions are applied to the tax design….