Finance Minister advises African governments to strengthen regional tax cooperation

Finance Minister Cassiel Ato Forson has called for African governments to enhance regional tax cooperation to bolster domestic revenue and secure the continent's financing requirements. Speaking at the opening of the 8th High-Level Policy Dialogue and 23rd General Assembly of the West African Tax Administration Forum (WATAF) in Accra, Forson emphasized the importance of African countries having a stronger voice in the international tax architecture and coordinating their positions more effectively on global tax issues.

He highlighted the need to address challenges such as base erosion and profit shifting, the taxation of the digital economy, and the global minimum tax, which have become central to Africa's development agenda. Forson stressed the necessity for regional institutions to strengthen member tax administrations' capacity to implement international tax standards and equip African countries to negotiate effectively and protect their legitimate tax bases in the evolving international tax environment.

He also advocated for greater investment in African expertise to reduce reliance on external technical capabilities and build stronger indigenous tax administration capabilities, alongside data-driven, digital transformation, and cross-border cooperation to create more sustainable tax administrations.

Brief written by urgent.news from MyJoyOnline Ghana's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.