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.
Key Resources
Tax Administration and Compliance Library
Uganda’s tax system is a drain on small businesses: how to set them free
Taxes, trust, and transparency: Lessons for Ghana’s fiscal future
Ghanaian President John Mahama’s government presented its much-awaited 2025 budget last month. In it, Finance Minister Cassiel Ato Forson outlines…
From Identification to Stronger Tax Administration: Can Digital IDs Deliver?
In many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), strengthening state capacity and expanding the tax base are fundamental to improving public…
Ghana’s e-levy: 3 lessons from the abolished mobile money tax
Four priority areas for next year’s Financing for Development Conference
The digital transformation of tax administrations: What’s in it for low-income countries?
As governments worldwide, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), push towards digital transformation, the platformisation of public services offers…
Nigeria’s historic tax reform led by ICTD tax course alum
Taxing Smarter: How Research Collaboration is Strengthening Tax Systems in Africa
Amidst growing fiscal pressures, rising debt service costs, and shrinking aid budgets, strengthening domestic resource mobilisation (DRM) has become an…
The implications of digital payments for tax administration – Insights from the Inclusive FinTech Forum 2025
What is the potential of digital finance, a cashless economy and system interoperability for strengthening tax administration in lower- and…
ICTD-RRA conference discusses future of digital tax administration
Digital Public Infrastructure and Taxation in Africa – what have we learnt and what’s next?
ICTD policy impact featured in Institute of Development Studies’ latest Annual Review
Virtual
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Timezone: Europe/London
Property valuation is essential for effectively mobilising property tax revenue. While it may seem straightforward in theory, in practice multiple administrative, legal, political, and financial challenges continue to limit effective property valuation across Africa. Dominant valuation methods have significant trade-offs
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Public Policies, Institutions and Developing Countries: What are the strategic challenges to address the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic? Register to attend here. The Covid-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on the health and social fabric of society, and
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On June 15th, the ICTD’s founder and Senior Fellow Professor Mick Moore (pictured on the left) will be giving a webinar in a new series hosted by the United Nations University World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU-WIDER). He will
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You are cordially invited to the third Ethiopian Tax Research Network seminar, hosted at Addis Ababa University (AAU). The first speaker will be Dr. Wollela Yesegat, Assistant Professor at AAU, who will present on “Micro Business Taxation in Ethiopia”. The
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