Tax Administration and Compliance

Research Theme

Tax Administration and Compliance

Many of the challenges low-income countries face in mobilising domestic resources are related to tax administration as much as tax policy. Our research on this theme encompasses all aspects of tax administration, from technology adoption, to data management and strategies for collecting revenue from different types of taxpayers. Tax compliance is a key focus, as low-income countries struggle with widespread evasion, corruption, and limited administrative capacity. Our research on compliance includes survey-based studies of taxpayers’ perceptions and attitudes, case studies, and large-scale field experiments.

Tax Administration and Compliance

Led By

Tax Administration and Compliance Library

Research in Brief

The Economic Impact of the Pandemic in Rwanda: An Analysis of Firm-level VAT Data

May 2021
Giulia Mascagni, Adrienne Lees

Journal Article

Trade Tax Evasion and the Tax Rate: Evidence from Transaction-level Trade Data

April 2021
Andualem T. Mengistu, Kiflu G. Molla, Giulia Mascagni

African Tax Administration Paper

Are Women More Tax Compliant than Men? How Would We Know?

March 2021
Jalia Kangave, Ronald Waiswa, Nathan Sebaggala

African Tax Administration Paper

Using administrative data to assess the impact of the pandemic in low-income countries: An application with VAT data in Rwanda

March 2021
Giulia Mascagni, Adrienne Lees

Working Paper

The VAT in Practice: Equity, Enforcement and Complexity

January 2021
Giulia Mascagni, Roel Dom, Fabrizio Santoro

Working Paper

Tax Certainty? The Private Rulings Regime in Uganda in Comparative Perspective

January 2021
Samuel Kahima, Solomon Rukundo, Victor Phillip Makmot

Partner Publication

Simulating the Impact of COVID-19 on Formal Firms in South Africa

December 2020
Adrienne Lees, Giulia Mascagni, Michael Kilumelume

African Tax Administration Paper

Tax Amnesties in Africa: An Analysis of the Voluntary Disclosure Programme in Uganda

December 2020
Solomon Rukundo

Research in Brief

How Effective has the TADAT Framework Been in Improving Tax Administration in Uganda?

December 2020
Doris Akol, Margaret Magumba, Patrick Loke, Milly Isingoma Nalukwago, Tina Kaidu Barugahara

Research in Brief

Gender and Tax Compliance: Firm Level Evidence from Ethiopia

December 2020
Seid Yimam Mohamed, Fissha Asmare Marye

Research in Brief

What is Wrong with African Tax Administration?

December 2020
Mick Moore

Research in Brief

To File or Not To File? Another Dimension of Non-Compliance: The Eswatini Taxpayer Survey

December 2020
Fabrizio Santoro, Edward Groening, Winnie Mdluli, Mbongeni Shongwe

Virtual

19 August 2026 – 11:00

•

Timezone: UTC

This webinar will bring together researchers and practitioners to examine what AI adoption means in practice for African tax administrations and which applications need stronger DPI foundations.

Virtual

15 December 2025 – 15:00

•

Timezone: Europe/London

ICTD Research Fellow Giovanni Occhiali will join a high-level panel during the launch of Tax Justice Network’s ‘Admin Data for Tax Justice’ database.

Virtual

3 September 2025 – 03:30

•

Timezone: UTC

ICTD Research Fellow Mick Moore will be speaking at Arutha’s Debt & Tax Dialogue on fair and efficient tax solutions on 3rd of September.

In person

3 December 2024 – 10:00

•

Timezone: America/New_York

United Nations Headquarters, East 45th Street, New York, NY, USA
The ICTD will be hosting a side event at the Second Preparatory Committee Session of the Financing for Development Conference.

Current

Investigating the Inclusion of Welfare Issues in the IMF’s Tax Policy Agenda: A Quantitative Analysis of Article IV Consultation Reports

Start date: 01/08/2025

Current

Extent and Distributional Implications of Non-Compliance with Local and National Taxes among Firms in Kampala, Uganda

Start date: 01/07/2022

Current

The Politics of Tax Reform in Pakistan

Start date: 05/01/2026

Current

Tracking Tax Compliance: Evaluating Pakistan’s Track and Trace System

Start date: 01/09/2025

Current

Navigating Tax Compliance in Pakistan: The Role of Heuristics in Self-Reporting Systems

Start date: 10/02/2025

Current

One-stop Shops as Intermediaries Between Digital States and Non-digital Populations

Start date: 11/11/2025

Current

Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? Experimental evidence of tax advice in Rwanda

Start date: 02/12/2024

Current

Collection Cost and Revenue: Evaluating the Cost-Effectiveness of Administration of the Tax Stamp in Ghana

Start date: 01/10/2024

Current

The Politics and Practice of Tax Targets

Start date: 10/07/2024

Current

Tax Officials and Tax Compliance: Attitudes to Enforcement and Implications on Taxpayer Compliance

Start date: 01/01/2022

Current

What Impacts Do Tax Agents Have on Taxpayer Compliance in Uganda? Evidence from eTax – Phase 2

Start date: 01/08/2026

Current

Artificial Intelligence for Smarter Tax Administration: Opportunities, Limits, and Evidence from Zambia – Phase 1

Start date: 01/01/2026
Alex Kombat
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Research Affiliate
Hannelore Niesten
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Associate Postdoctoral Fellow
Jalia Kangave
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Associate Research Fellow
Lucia Rossel
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Research Affiliate
Mick Moore
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Research Fellow & Publications Editor
Moyo Arewa
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Programme Director, LoGRI
Ronald Waiswa
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Research Affiliate
Samuel Jibao
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Research Affiliate
Wilson Prichard
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Associate Research Fellow, ICTD and Chair, LoGRI

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