Taxation and Development: What Have We Learned from Fifty Years of Research?

This paper contributes to the broader ICTD research objective of gaining a better understanding of how to improve tax policy and administration across a range of diverse developing country settings. It offers reflections on the interplay between tax research and actual policy over the last fifty years in order to throw light on the processes of tax reform, and to offer insights into how research could become more relevant and effective in shaping tax policy to support development.

This is a brief version of Working Paper 1 by Richard M. Bird.