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Increasing Tax Collection in African Countries : The Role of Information Technology

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  • Okunogbe,Oyebola Motunrayo
  • Santoro,Fabrizio

Abstract

Many African countries struggle to collect an adequate amount of tax revenue to support neededinvestments in public services. This paper examines how African countries may take advantage of recent advances intechnology to improve tax administration. It provides an overview of the potential and challenges of different taxcategories in Africa: consumption taxes, real estate taxes, trade taxes, and income taxes. It then describes the ways inwhich technology solutions may be deployed to address these challenges by helping to identify the tax base, monitorcompliance, and facilitate compliance. Lastly, it provides insights from interviews with senior tax administratorsacross the continent on their practical experiences in adopting technology for taxation.

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  • Okunogbe,Oyebola Motunrayo & Santoro,Fabrizio, 2022. "Increasing Tax Collection in African Countries : The Role of Information Technology," Policy Research Working Paper Series 10182, The World Bank.
    • Handle: RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:10182
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    2. Marina Dodlova & Krisztina Kis-Katos & Anna Kochanova & Olivia Wirth, 2023. "Mobile technologies and firm formalization: Evidence from Uganda," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2023-99, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).

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