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Taxation has been seen as the domain of charisma-free accountants, lawyers and number crunchers – an unlikely place to encounter big societal questions about democracy, equity or good governance. Yet it is exactly these issues that pervade conversations about taxation among policymakers, tax collectors, civil society activists, journalists and foreign aid donors in Africa today. Tax has become viewed as central to African development. Written by leading international experts, Taxing Africa offers a cutting-edge analysis on all aspects of the continent's tax regime, displaying the crucial role such arrangements have on attempts to create social justice and push economic advancement. From tax evasion by multinational corporations and African elites to how ordinary people navigate complex webs of 'informal' local taxation, the book examines the potential for reform, and how space might be created for enabling locally-led strategies. The eBook editions of this book are available open access under a CC BY-NC 3.0 licence on bloomsburycollections.com.

This paper reviews the literature on taxation of the informal economy, taking stock of key debates and drawing attention to recent innovations. Conventionally, the debate on whether to tax has frequently focused on the limited revenue potential, high cost of collection, and potentially adverse impact on small firms. Recent arguments have increasingly emphasised the more indirect benefits of informal taxation in relation to economic growth, broader tax compliance, and governance. More research is needed, we argue, into the relevant costs and benefits for all, including quasi-voluntary compliance, political and administrative incentives for reform, and citizen-state bargaining over taxation.

Intro -- Front Cover -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Contents -- Foreword -- Acknowledgments -- About the Authors -- Abbreviations -- Chapter 1. Introduction -- Tax Compliance: A Persistent Challenge -- Traditional Approaches to Tax Reform -- Toward a Holistic Tax Reform Framework: Integrating Tax Morale and Trust -- Organization of This Report -- Notes -- References -- Chapter 2. Direct Taxes on Individuals and Households -- The Tax Compliance Challenge -- Barriers to Reform -- Reform Progress-and Future Options -- Conclusion -- Notes -- References -- Chapter 3. Taxing High-Net-Worth Individuals -- The Tax Compliance Challenge -- Barriers to Reform -- Reform Progress-and Future Options -- Conclusion -- Notes -- References -- Chapter 4. Taxing Corporate Income -- The Tax Compliance Challenge -- Barriers to Reform -- Reform Progress-and Future Options -- Conclusion -- Notes -- References -- Chapter 5. Taxing SMEs -- The Tax Compliance Challenge -- Barriers to Reform -- Reform Progress-and Future Options -- Conclusion -- Notes -- References -- Chapter 6. Taxing at the Local Level -- The Tax Compliance Challenge -- Barriers to Reform -- Reform Progress-and Future Options -- Conclusion -- References -- Chapter 7. The Tax and Technology Challenge -- The Tax and Technology Challenge -- Barriers to Reform -- Reform Progress-and Future Options -- Conclusion -- Notes -- References -- Chapter 8. Conclusion -- A Framework for Tax Reform -- Navigating the Politics of Reform -- Building Trust to Underpin Successful Reform -- Tailoring Reform to Local Contexts: Binding Constraints Analysis -- Conclusion -- Note -- References -- Boxes -- Figures -- Tables -- Back Cover.

Recent decades have seen important progress in strengthening country tax systems. Yet many areas of reform have remained stubbornly resistant to major improvements. Overall, revenue collection still falls short of that needed for effective governance and service delivery. Tax collection is too often riddled with high rates of evasion among large corporations and the rich and by disproportionate, though often hidden, burdens on lower-income groups. As countries around the world deal with the large debt burdens induced by COVID-19, an in-depth look at how to strengthen tax systems is especially timely. Innovations in Tax Compliance: Building Trust, Navigating Politics, and Tailoring Reform takes a fresh look at tax reform. The authors draw on recent research and experience for their new conceptual framework to guide more effective approaches to reform. Building on the achievements of recent decades, they argue for a greater emphasis on the overlapping goals of building trust, navigating political resistance, and tailoring reform to unique local contexts—an emphasis achieved by identifying the most binding constraints on reform. This focus not only can lead to greater compliance, a fairer system, and higher revenues, but also can contribute to building state capacity, sustained political support for further reforms, and a stronger fiscal contract between citizens and governments.

AbstractHow does conflict affect tax revenue mobilization? This paper uses a newly updated dataset to explore longitudinal trends of tax revenue mobilization prior to, during and after conflict periods in a selection of conflict‐affected states since 1980. This medium‐N trend analysis provides greater insight into the relationship between tax revenue performance over time and the characteristics of the conflicts in question. Offering detailed snapshots of tax experiences prior to, during and after conflict, this paper provides an empirical counterpoint to theories about the role of taxation in war making and state building. © 2018 UNU‐WIDER. Journal of International Development published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.