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

How Will Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) Influence Tax Administration in Developing Countries?

June 2024
Moyo Arewa, Celeste Scarpini, Kelbesa Megersa, Barry Cooper, Antonia Esser, Megan Campbell

Research in Brief

Mobile Money Taxes: Knowledge, Perceptions and Politics. The Case of Ghana

June 2024
Mary Abounabhan, Awa Diouf, Fabrizio Santoro, Carlos Sakyi-Nyarko, Celeste Scarpini

Working Paper

Using Machine Learning to Catch Bogus Firms

June 2024
Aprajit Mahajan, Shekhar Mittal, Ofir Reich, Taha Barwahwala

Research in Brief

Enhancing Taxpayer Registration with Inter-Institutional Data Sharing – Evidence from Uganda

June 2024
Celeste Scarpini, Fabrizio Santoro, Ronald Waiswa, Moyo Arewa, Jane Nabuyondo

African Tax Administration Paper

Enhancing Taxpayer Registration with Inter-Institutional Data Sharing – Evidence from Uganda

June 2024
Celeste Scarpini, Fabrizio Santoro, Ronald Waiswa, Moyo Arewa, Jane Nabuyondo

Research in Brief

Women in Ethiopian Tax Administration: Evidence on Representation and Performance

June 2024
Seid Yimam Mohamed, Yalew Mekonnen

Research in Brief

Does Competition from the Informal Sector Reduce Tax Compliance in the Formal Sector? Evidence from Ethiopia

May 2024
Seid Yimam Mohamed, Fissha Asmare Marye, Mick Moore

Research in Brief

Technology Evolution and Tax Compliance: Evidence from Rwanda

May 2024
Naphtal Hakizimana, Fabrizio Santoro

Policy Brief

Taxation Policies, Processes, and Performances of Mobile Money Providers in Côte d’Ivoire

May 2024
Hannelore Niesten

Research in Brief

Cameroon’s Tax on Mobile Money: Implications for Agents’ Performance and Revenue Sustainability

May 2024
Alphonse Noah, Ruth Tacneng

Working Paper

Cameroon’s Tax on Mobile Money: Implications for Agents’ Performance and Revenue Sustainability

May 2024
Alphonse Noah, Ruth Tacneng

African Tax Administration Paper

Pathways Into the Tax Net: Better Ways to Register African Taxpayers

May 2024
Edward Groening, Mick Moore, Denis Mukama, Ronald Waiswa

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.

Completed

Mapping Property Tax Compliance in Freetown, Sierra Leone

Start date: 06/09/2022

Completed

Tax Messaging and Compliance Behavior: Does Varying Messaging on Tax Bills Influence Compliance?

Start date: 16/11/2022

Completed

Participatory Budgeting and Tax Compliance in a Weak State: Evidence from Sierra Leone

Start date: 02/11/2022

Completed

Rebuilding the Social Compact: Urban Service Delivery and Property Taxes in Pakistan

Start date: 11/11/2022

Completed

Public Reporting and Property Tax Compliance: A Field Experiment in Kampala, Uganda

Start date: 11/08/2022

Completed

Anatomy of Filing Non-Compliance in VAT Systems

Start date: 01/11/2022

Completed

Perversity in Sri Lanka’s tax administration

Start date: 01/11/2022

Current

Evidence Gap Map on Digital Financial Services: Enablers, Barriers, and Impacts

Start date: 03/01/2022

Completed

The Promise and Limitations of Information Technology for Tax Administration

Start date: 01/06/2018

Completed

Understanding Retail Central Bank Digital Currencies and their Potential for Revenue Authorities

Start date: 01/01/2022

Completed

Inter-Institutional Data Sharing and Cooperation for Better Tax Administration – Evidence from Uganda

Start date: 01/01/2022

Completed

Leveraging DFS and Digital IDs for Improved Tax Collection in the Togo Revenue Authority (OTR)

Start date: 01/01/2022
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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