Tax justice champions in Africa have been challenged to expand their research, advocacy, and mobilization efforts at continental, national, and community levels to accelerate the pace of domestic resource mobilization reforms in the continent.
During the meeting in Tunis, from 21st to 23rd November 2022, under the auspices of the Scaling up Tax Justice (SCUT) project, representatives from 5 national and regional tax lobbies noted that there was the need for joint coordination at regional and sub-regional levels to effectively advocate for fair taxation, as well as the efficient administration of tax incentives and Double Tax Agreements (DTAs) in Africa.
Speaking at the meeting, TJNA Executive Director, Alvin Mosioma, noted that tax champions in Africa must recognize the interconnectedness of the fight for tax justice in all spaces.
“The legitimacy of our tax justice network is to collectively work with our members, partners, and other stakeholders in order to change the perceptions of policymakers within Africa so that our taxes can benefit our continent,” Mr. Mosioma added.
The Scaling up Tax Justice (SCUT) project seeks to scale up tax justice by establishing and strengthening national coordination mechanisms for tax justice outreach to strengthen and promote the tax justice movement and campaign against illicit financial flows (IFFs). It is being implemented in Cameroon, Senegal, Tunisia, and East Africa.
SCUT is being implemented by Tax Justice Network Africa (TJNA) and its members; Le Centre Régional Africain pour le Développement Endogène et Communautaire (CRADEC) from Cameroon, Forum Civil from Senegal, Observatoire Tunisien de l’Économie (OTE) from Tunisia and East African Tax and Governance Network (EATGN). The project, which is in its second phase, is being supported by the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD).
The meeting served as an end-term review session as phase 2 of the project ends in December 2022 and sought to achieve the following objectives;
- Track implementation of activities
- Outcome harvesting sessions
- Highlight success stories
OTE Executive Director Zoé Venin noted that despite the difficult global context occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic, the reduction of public spaces, and the debt crisis, the project has achieved great success in its second phase.
The project has been renewed for the third phase which starts in 2023.
