Ethiopian Tax Team Visits Counterparts in Rwanda and Tanzania

August 11, 2016

A high-level team from the Ethiopian Revenues and Customs Authority (ERCA), led by Ato Desta Bezabh Gebrehiwet, Deputy Director General and Head of Domestic Tax Department, and facilitated by the U.K. Department for International Development (DFID)-funded Tax, Audit and Transparency (TAUT) programme led by DAI, visited revenue authorities in Rwanda and Tanzania during the past two weeks.

(Ato Desta Bezbah Deputy Director General of ERCA presents an Ethiopian tie to Richard Tusabe, Commissioner General, Rwanda Revenue Authority.)

The purpose of the trip was to conduct an in-depth study into these revenue authorities’ governance and management structures as well as to closely examine their experiences in conducting successful organisational and structural reforms.

“A key objective of the visit was to open and create strong linkages with counterparts in Rwanda and Tanzania to support further discussions and institutional cooperation,” said TAUT Chief of Party Kieran Holmes. “Excellent linkages were created at all levels.”

At the Rwanda Revenue Authority (RRA), the ERCA team reviewed and exchanged experiences on:

• The RRA Training Institute, including a field visit to view the training facilities in Butare
• The Small and Medium Taxpayer Office structures
• RRA’s modernisation and reform structures
• Corporate risk management
• Planning and research structures and experience with the Tax Administration Diagnostic Assessment Tool (TADAT)
• Human resources management

At the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA), the ERCA team reviewed and exchanged experiences on:

• Management of donor activities and TRA’s TADAT experiences
• The TRA Large Taxpayer Office
• A field visit to the Temeke Tax Office
• Electronic payments system and electronic cargo tracking
• Human resources and staff integrity structures
• Institute of Tax Administration

“The ERCA team is now working to produce a detailed visit report that will include the lessons learned and the changes we will make as a result of what we learned on this visit,” said Ato Desta.

DFID has a long history of supporting revenue administration in Africa and elsewhere, added Holmes. DFID has supported the RRA for more than 12 years and provided support, along with other donors, to TRA.

TAUT supports the Government of Ethiopia in progressively expanding the tax base and ensuring more effective tax administration. TAUT works to improve the business climate and public oversight and transparency across specific government agencies and the wider public sector.