Isaac Agyiri Danso (D.Phil. Candidate, Oxford) presents Navigating the African Tax Terrain: Contemporary Perspectives on African Taxation at Boston University today as part of its Just Taxation Workshop hosted by Steven Dean:

African taxation today has been shaped by the complexity of its socio-political and economic history. The contemporary tax architecture in Africa has been shaped significantly by its colonial past.  For instance, colonial era taxes were designed and introduced to extract resources, primarily for the benefit of the colonisers. These exploitative taxes on indigenous populations laid the foundation for widespread scepticism towards taxation among many Africans which persist to today. Today, African taxation reflects a dynamic interplay of these historical legacies, in the ongoing strive to mobilise domestic revenue to finance the continent's development.  

African governments are daring to strike a delicate balance between mobilising domestic resources, reducing aid dependence, and promoting economic growth and equitable development.

The evolving landscape of taxation in Africa is influenced by both domestic and international dynamics, making it a complex and multifaceted field of study and policy formulation.