ICTD blog on digital IDs and tax administration in Ethiopia cited in media reports
Research produced under ICTD’s DIGITAX programme on the integration of digital ID systems with tax administration systems was cited by the following news outlets:
- BiometricUpdate.com, a specialized news outlet that focuses on developments and research about the global biometrics market.
- Ethiopia-based Fana Broadcasting Corporate.
Both articles refer to a blog written by our Doctoral Fellow Seid Yimam Mohamed and Research Fellow Fabrizio Santoro, published in May 2024, that discusses five potential benefits of integrating Fayda, Ethiopia’s national digital ID system, with tax administration systems, drawing lessons from the experiences in Uganda and Ghana.
Martin Hearson weighs in on UN tax convention negotiations in Law360 article
ICTD co-Research Director Martin Hearson shared his insights with Law360 on the recently concluded first round of negotiations for the terms of reference of the United Nations Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation.
Hearson, who leads ICTD’s International Tax programme, spoke about the capacity deficit that lower-income coutnries face in participating in such processes, saying: “Part of the way to overcome that capacity deficit is for countries to collaborate more outside of negotiations themselves, so that the people who do attend can credibly represent a larger constituency, which is something the OECD countries are quite used to doing already.”
He also weighed in on digital services taxation and transfer pricing, among others. The full article, entitled ‘5 Goals Gov’ts Have For The UN Tax Convention’, can be accessed here.
DIGITAX workshop on taxing mobile money garners media attention in Ghana
The two-day DIGITAX Research Programme workshop in Accra on ‘Taxing mobile money: Lessons and ways forward’, hosted by the Ghana Revenue Authority in partnership with ICTD, received coverage in several media outlets during the end of February and beginning of March. Among them are:
- “Insights on Ghana’s e-levy: What do we know nearly two years on?” story on Modern Ghana and Ghana News
- “‘E-levy must be sustained otherwise the country will depend too much on loans’ – GRA” story on Modern Ghana
- “‘Older, more educated Ghanians more likely to support E-levy’ – Report” story on Modern Ghana
- “Study Reveals Age, Education Influence Support for Ghana’s E-levy Among Informal Workers” on BNN Ghana
- “E-levy roped in informal sector into the tax net – GRA” story on GhanaWeb
- “E-levy affects the poor more than the rich – Research” story and interview with ICTD Research Director Martin Hearson on GhanaWeb
- “Stakeholders Call for E-Levy Review” story published on Ghana News, GH Headlines, and Daily Guide Network
ICTD research on duty-free imports of electronic transmission products in Africa cited in Tax Notes
ICTD Working Paper 181, entitled ‘Are Trade Rules Undermining Taxation of the Digital Economy in Africa?’, was cited in a report by Tax Notes on the recent renewal of the World Trade Organization’s moratorium on custom duties for e-commerce.
Institute of Development Studies Research Fellow Karishma Banga, who co-authored the paper with Alexander Beyleveld, was also quoted in the piece, saying in part:
“The moratorium has constrained the ability of African and developing countries to raise tax revenue from the steadily growing imports of electronically transmitted products.”
Read the full Tax Notes article, entitled ‘WTO Ministers Renew Moratorium on Custom Duties for E-Commerce’, here.
Mick Moore and Wilson Prichard cited in Time.News on increasing tax revenue
ICTD founding director Mick Moore and executive director Wilson Prichard were referenced in a Time.News article on increasing public revenue in African countries.
The news item featured recommendations made by the two ICTD researchers from an earlier published working paper, entitled “How Can Governments of Low-Income Countries Collect More Tax Revenue?”.
Read the artice here.
Mick Moore publishes op-ed piece in Sri Lanka’s Daily Mirror
ICTD founder and Professorial Fellow Mick Moore has penned an op-ed, entitled “Wanted: An Authentic Minister of Finance Sri Lanka Has Not Had One, For Three And A Half Decades”, for Sri Lanka’s Daily Mirror.
He said in part: “Other than [Mangala] Samaraweera [(2017-2019)], a couple of the people who have briefly held the post of Finance Minister since 1988 have been figureheads. For the most of that period, the post has been held by the incumbent President. It follows that the President/Minister of Finance, could not exercise any independent influence over economic and fiscal policy, or query or check government financial decisions.”
Read the full article here.
Mbakiso Magwape quoted in fDi Intelligence article on corporate minimum tax
Mbakiso Magwape was interviewed and quoted in an article by fDi Intelligence, a Financial Times-run service, about the nearing implementation in some countries of the 15% global corporate minimum tax.
In the article, Mbakiso said in part that “the steady progress being made in Europe has ‘triggered a call to action’ by regional tax bodies which want developing countries to stop dragging their feet”.
Read the full the article here.
Mick Moore quoted in Bloomberg on World Bank’s decision to halt new loans to Uganda
Mick Moore was quoted in a Bloomberg article on the World Bank’s decision to halt new loans to Uganda as a penalty over its new LGBTQI laws. Mick is quoted as saying
“The decision reflects a shift at the World Bank in its approach toward economic growth and development, said Mick Moore, a researcher at the Institute of Development Studies. “The heavy emphases they formerly placed on markets, competition and fiscal conservatism have to some extent given way to an emphasis on equality of all kinds.”
In one example, the World Bank halted funding for projects in Afghanistan after the Taliban took control of the country in 2021. “That was not too controversial internationally. But Bank staff always suspected that they would face much more problematic cases,” Moore said. “The Uganda case is especially problematic, because it left the Bank facing strongly competing political pressures and little scope for finding a compromise.”
You can read the article here.
Celeste Scarpini and Fabrizio Santoro pen a piece in ‘The Conversation’
DIGITAX Research Programme researchers Celeste Scarpini and Fabrizio Santoro have written an article entitled Kenya is going digital to boost tax revenue – there are lessons to learn from other African countries published in The Conversation.
ICTD research on taxing agricultural income is cited extensively in a Ugandan top media outlet
LoGRI inaugural conference receives national media coverage in Kenya
The Local Government Revenue Iniatiative (LoGRI) inaugural conference on “Building Progressive and Equitable Property Tax Systems in Lower-Income Countries” received coverage in a number of Kenyan media outlets in June. Highlights include:
- “WILSON PRICHARD: Property taxes are a benefit rather than levy on wealth” interview in the The East African in print and online 20/06/23
- “Musalia Mudavadi Asks Governors to Expand County Tax Base to Fund Operations” story in TUKO 13/06/23
- “Mudavadi Urges Counties To Enhance Own Sources Of Revenues” story in Citizen Digital 13/06/23
- “Enhance own sources of revenues, Counties urged” story in KBC 13/06/23
Global Tax Governance conference garners significant national media attention in Kenya
The ICTD/KRA organised “Global Tax Governance at a Crossroads” conference garnered significant Kenyan print and television media coverage in June. Highlights include:
- “Global Tax Governance conference to be hosted in Nairobi on June 5-7” story on HapaKenya 2/06/23
- “Tax Experts, Policy makers converge to deliberate the future of Global Tax Governance” Editorial in Bizna Kenya 2/06/23
- “KRA and International Centre for Tax & Development host conference” Television report on Citizen TV Kenya 5/06/23
- “Tax Collabo I Insufficient information derailing optimum tax collection” KBC Business television report 5/06/23
- “Kenya makes progress in international taxation, says Treasury CS” story in KBC 6/06/23
- “Global Tax Conference Kicks Off In Nairobi Amid Finance Bill Row” Top Story on Capital Business 5/06/23