For Africa to develop without aids, there is the need to mobilise domestic revenue, reshape mindsets and values as well as take advantage of natural resources on the continent.
President of the West African Union of Tax Institutes (WAUTI), Gladys Simplice, stated this, saying there was a need to develop Africa for Africans.
Speaking during a press briefing on a two-day 7th WAUTI conference in Lagos, themed, ‘Designing and implementing Tax Measures for the COVID-19 Era and Beyond’, Simplice said the international conference aims to deepen an understanding of the consequences on taxpayers and tax administrators while contributing to the recovery of the economies of the West African countries.
She maintained that the conference, which plans to arm affected people and firms with appropriate fiscal tools, would analyse the impact of the COVID-19 and explore ways out for businesses.
Simplice, who is also the President of Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN), at a press conference, WAUTI had, before now, harped on domestic revenue mobilisation and other issues that were important to the development of the sub-region.
On what the institute intends to achieve, Simplice said: “We want to look at post-COVID-19 and what is going to happen to us. There are so many advantages post-COVID-19. We have been able to employ IT to do a lot of things. Are we training and engaging our youths positively in IT? A lot of people have keyed into virtual reality.”
Chairman, WAUTI high-level think tank for tax experts, Taiwo Oyedele, said the conference would help countries and policymakers to sharpen critical and economic matters.
Pioneer president of WAUTI, Rasaq Quadri, said funding had been a major challenge of the union.
