The Global Forum on tax transparency assists Togo and Tanzania in the fight against tax evasion

 

A team from the the Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes visited Togo (8-9 February 2019) and the United Republic of Tanzania (30 January-1 February 2019) as part of a multi-year capacity building programme to ensure that these countries can fully participate in and benefit from the recent advances in international tax cooperation.

 

Both countries have joined the Global Forum in the past two years with an aim to join the global efforts in fighting offshore tax evasion by implementing the internationally agreed tax transparency standards This visit was aimed at exploring the legislative changes required in their domestic legal framework, expansion of their network of exchange of information agreements and practical implementation of the standards.

 

The team which included Ms. Nana Mensah and Mr. Ervice Tchouata, Tax Policy Analysts of the Global Forum Secretariat, held bilateral meetings with several stakeholders such as the heads of tax administrations, the bank associations and legal practitioners to discuss the implementation of their countries’ tax laws in practice. The visit also served to create awareness of the ways in which implementation of international standards can equip their tax administrations in fighting tax avoidance and evasion.

 

Both Tanzania and Togo place a lot of importance to the role of fighting tax evasion in raising domestic revenues and addressing the problem of illicit financial flows in order to meet the Sustainable Development Goals. The capacity building programme takes place in the context of Global Forum’s Africa Initiative, which is focusing on tackling international tax evasion and building a legacy of greater exchange of information capacity across Africa.

 

Any questions should be sent to gftaxcooperation@oecd.org