OVERVIEW

VISION

ATAF strives to build efficient and effective tax administrations in Africa to become the leader on African tax matters, enhance economic development and improve the living standards of the people of Africa.

MISSION

ATAF serves as an African network that aims at improving tax systems in Africa through exchanges, knowledge dissemination, capacity development and active contribution to the regional and global tax agenda.

Improved tax systems will increase accountability of the State to its citizen, enhance domestic resource mobilisation and thereby foster inclusive economic growth.

OUR MANDATE

In implementing its mission, ATAF shall:

Improve the capacity of African tax administrations to achieve their revenue objectives;
Advance the role of taxation in African governance and state building;
Produceanddisseminateknowledgeontaxmatterstoinformpolicyandlegislationformulation, foster transparency and accountability and improve revenue collection;
Provide a voice for African countries on regional and global platforms and influence the international tax debate; and
Develop and support partnerships between African countries and development partners.

With this mandate the organisation aims to:

contribute to efficient and effective African tax administrations;
contribute to efficient and effective African policy authorities; and
influence the international tax debate for standards in Africa’s interest.

OUR VALUES

OBJECTIVES OF THE AFRICAN TAX ADMINISTRATION FORUM (ATAF)

ATAF adheres to the following values:

Dedication towards consolidating and strengthening stakeholder relations in order to advance African tax reform
Integrity by promoting accountability and transparency through adequate and effective systems of internal controls, risk management and good financial governance
Equity extended to all members to access high-quality learning resources and opportunities
Mutual respect in contributing towards a better Africa through a better understanding of the various tax policies and reforms
Courtesy afforded to all members to ensure that they jointly represent African interests internationally in promoting that the continent speaks with one voice on tax issues
Loyalty to all member and development partners to continuously sustain the development
Diversity and inclusiveness by ensuring equity, mutual respect and courtesy when undertaking our mandate

The following strategic objectives have been defined for 2021 – 2025:

Ensuring a financial sustainable and robust organisation
Driving regionalisation through bilateral and regional cooperation with tax stakeholders in Africa
Enhancing the capacity of todays and tomorrows African tax officials
Technical assistance fostering efficient and effective African tax administrations.
Providing data and knowledge on African tax matters and systems
Being the African voice in the field of taxation that informs and influences regional and global policy

ATAF AGREEMENT

HISTORY

ATAF’s achievement over the past decade include:

ATAF has provided Technical Assistance through 20 country programmes (12 on cross border taxation and 8 on exchange of information). The country programmes led to the reviewing of business structures and procedures, training of 500 auditors; implementation of Automatic Exchange of Information and EOI-Units and transfer pricing units in over 15 countries and revision of 28 transfer pricing legislation, new interest deductibility legislation, and new permanent establishment rules designed to reduce tax avoidance and evasion. Increased tax collected now totals USD340million and an additional USD 1.20 billion tax has been assessed.
ATAF has improved the capacity of African tax administrations (over 17,722 policy makers, officials and parliamentarians have been trained) on tax audits and tax treaties; compliance risk management and fraud detection; tax and development; revenue forecasting and analysis to mention but a few.
ATAF has significant regional and international visibility, has cooperated with international partners and played an active role in the global tax agenda over the last decade. So far, ATAF has participated in 72 regional, continental and global fora to promote African perspectives on tax issues and represent the views and interests of its members. ATAF is a key player in the Inclusive Framework and the UN Committee of Experts.
ATAF established an African Tax Research Network (ATRN) in 2015, a platform for African inspired dialogue, research and collaboration which has increased the research capacity of Africa through 366 African researchers, promoting an African-based Thought Leadership on Tax. Through the ATRN, ATAF has been able to promote the development of home-grown solutions to African tax challenges and enhance debate and cooperation amongst tax officials, academics, policy makers, tax practitioners and civil society.
ATAF launched its African Tax Outlook (ATO) in 2015, which is now the leading reference point on continental tax data providing valuable, practical and relevant descriptive and analytical work on tax issues. The ATO assesses and compares data of an increasing number of African countries (currently 37) against indicators in four broad categories: tax bases, tax structure, revenue performance, and tax administration.
ATAF has established an Executive Masters Programme in Taxation (EMT) in 2014 to strengthen the capabilities of tax officials, tax policy makers, and tax practitioners from across the African continent, 87 (both English and French speaking) from 20 countries have graduated so far and have designed, implemented and steered reform processes in the fields of public finance, tax legislation, applied tax policy, and tax administration in their countries.