Aerial overhead township and wealthy suburb in South Africa

Research Theme

Tax, Welfare and Inequality

Tax policy and tax administration can have a big impact on who does or does not pay their fair share, on economic incentives, and thus on levels of poverty and the distribution of income and welfare. Research under this theme focuses on developing a better understanding, in specific contexts, of the complex economic and political linkages between how governments tax, how their national economies perform, and how well their citizens live. Some of our specific concerns are: the taxation of high net worth individuals; efficient business taxation; and the taxation of socially-harmful activities like smoking tobacco.

Check our latest work on the taxation of high-net-worth individuals

Aerial overhead township and wealthy suburb in South Africa

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Tax, Welfare and Inequality Library

Virtual

3 December 2025 – 16:00

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Timezone: Europe/London

Fresh from the UN Tax Convention negotiations in Nairobi earlier this month, Mukumba will discuss why reforming the global tax architecture matters for everyone, not just the global South that is pushing for change.

Virtual

16 October 2025 – 15:30

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Timezone: America/New_York

Join the ICTD, Accountability Lab, and the TAI Collaborative during the IMF/WB Annual Meetings for an afternoon of discussion on pressing fiscal and fairness issues in the ‘tax era of development’.

Virtual

3 September 2025 – 03:30

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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.

Virtual

19 June 2025 – 14:00

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Timezone: Europe/London

Join ICTD, ATAF and TJNA for a timely webinar sharing evidence on better, more efficient ways to tax the wealthy.

Completed

What is the distributional impact of the income and consumption tax reforms in Liberia?

Start date: 19/09/2023

Completed

The impact of mobile money taxation on financial inclusion: The case of the Kenyan excise duty

Start date: 20/07/2022

Completed

Perceptions, Impact, and Equity of Mobile Money taxation: The case of Ghana’s E-levy

Start date: 03/05/2023

Current

Taxation of High Net Worth Individuals in Sierra Leone

Start date: 14/06/2021

Completed

The Political Economy of Progressive Property Tax Reform: Evidence from Pakistan

Start date: 01/11/2022

Current

Tobacco tax reform in West Africa

Start date: 22/10/2018

Current

The fiscal and public health impact of a change in tobacco excise taxes in Ghana

Start date: 22/11/2019

Completed

Estimating the Impact of Tax or Price Measures on Tobacco Smoking Onset and Cessation

Start date: 18/11/2019

Completed

Taxation of High Net Worth Individuals (HNWIs) in Rwanda

Start date: 26/11/2018
Adrienne Lees
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Researcher
Ahsan Zia Farooqui
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Doctoral Fellow
Headshot of Ezera Madzivanyika
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Research Affiliate
Farooq Chatha
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Doctoral Fellow
Hannelore Niesten
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Associate Postdoctoral Fellow
Jalia Kangave
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Associate Research Fellow
Michael Rogan
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Research Affiliate
Mick Moore
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Research Fellow & Publications Editor
Nana Akua Anyidoho
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Research Affiliate
Rhiannon McCluskey
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Research Affiliate
Ronald Waiswa
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Research Affiliate
Umair Javed
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Research Affiliate
Wilson Prichard
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Associate Research Fellow, ICTD and Chair, LoGRI

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