{"id":3419,"date":"2013-10-14T15:31:14","date_gmt":"2013-10-14T15:31:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/africaresearchinstitute.org\/wordpress\/?p=3419"},"modified":"2013-10-14T15:44:05","modified_gmt":"2013-10-14T15:44:05","slug":"obr-in-london","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/africaresearchinstitute.org\/wordpress\/obr-in-london\/","title":{"rendered":"OBR management at expert tax symposium in London"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/africaresearchinstitute.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Cover-For-state-and-citizen-with-border.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-3425\" alt=\"Cover - For state and citizen with border\" src=\"https:\/\/africaresearchinstitute.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Cover-For-state-and-citizen-with-border-212x300.jpg\" width=\"212\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/africaresearchinstitute.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Cover-For-state-and-citizen-with-border-212x300.jpg 212w, https:\/\/africaresearchinstitute.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Cover-For-state-and-citizen-with-border-723x1024.jpg 723w, https:\/\/africaresearchinstitute.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Cover-For-state-and-citizen-with-border-170x240.jpg 170w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 212px) 100vw, 212px\" \/><\/a>Africa Research Institute (ARI) announces that it is hosting the <i>Office Burundais des Recettes <\/i>(OBR) at an expert symposium on \u201cTax in Africa\u201d. The event on Tuesday 15 October in London marks the publication by ARI of &#8220;For state and citizen: Reforming tax administration, in Burundi&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>The authors of the report \u2013 Kieran Holmes (Commissioner General, OBR), Domitien Ndihokubwayo (Deputy Commissioner General and Commissioner for Customs and Excise) and Chantal Ruvakubusa (Commissioner for Domestic Taxes and Non-Fiscal Revenues) \u2013 will highlight the achievements of the OBR over the past three years.<\/p>\n<p>Diplomats, UK parliamentarians, academics, tax experts, journalists, and representatives from donor agencies and the private sector will participate in the discussion, focusing on the lessons to be gained from Burundi\u2019s experience of reforming tax administration.<\/p>\n<p>Edward Paice, Director of Africa Research Institute, said: \u201cWe are delighted to welcome the OBR team to London. The OBR\u2019s progress is quite remarkable under the circumstances, with important implications for tax administration in other post-conflict countries in Africa. We look forward to a candid and constructive dialogue between experts.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Media enquiries:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Edward Paice, Director, Africa Research Institute (44) 207 222 4006<\/p>\n<p><strong>Notes to editors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Tax is high on the agenda in Africa. At an international level, advocacy groups and the G8 have called for greater efforts to counter tax evasion and avoidance by multinational companies. But in many countries in sub-Saharan Africa, a similar \u2013 and arguably even more pressing \u2013 campaign is being waged to improve the capacity of the state to collect domestic revenues.<\/p>\n<p>In 2009, despite a signally inhibitive outlook, the Burundi government implemented a number of measures to improve financial management. These included the creation of a new semi-autonomous revenue authority \u2013 the <i>Office Burundais des Recettes<\/i> (OBR). In 2012, tax revenues were 75% higher than in 2009 \u2013 a 25% increase in real terms. The contribution of tax to GDP had risen from 13.8% in 2009 to 16.7%.<\/p>\n<p>In this report, the OBR\u2019s management describe in detail how tax collection and administration has been reformed in Burundi. Their account highlights the actions taken to reduce corruption, improve services, implement legislative reforms and widen the tax base. The authors are clear about the difficulties confronting the OBR. Among other things, tax exemptions remain too high and the costs of taxing much of the informal economy outweigh any financial benefit. The continued success of an efficient revenue authority is dependent on a favourable political, business and legislative backdrop.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Africa Research Institute (ARI) announces that it is hosting the Office Burundais des Recettes (OBR) at an expert symposium on \u201cTax in Africa\u201d. The event on Tuesday 15 October in London marks the publication by ARI of &#8220;For state and citizen: Reforming tax administration, in Burundi&#8221;. The authors of the report \u2013 Kieran Holmes (Commissioner General, OBR), Domitien Ndihokubwayo (Deputy Commissioner General and Commissioner for Customs and Excise) and Chantal Ruvakubusa (Commissioner for Domestic Taxes and Non-Fiscal Revenues) \u2013 will highlight the achievements of the OBR over the past three years. Diplomats, UK parliamentarians, academics, tax experts, journalists, and representatives from donor agencies and the private sector will participate in the discussion, focusing on the lessons to be gained from Burundi\u2019s experience of reforming tax administration. Edward Paice, Director of Africa Research Institute, said: \u201cWe are delighted to welcome the OBR team to London. The OBR\u2019s progress is quite remarkable under the circumstances, with important implications for tax administration in other post-conflict countries in Africa. We look forward to a candid and constructive dialogue between experts.\u201d Media enquiries: Edward Paice, Director, Africa Research Institute (44) 207 222 4006 Notes to editors: Tax is high on the agenda in Africa. At an international level, advocacy groups and the G8 have called for greater efforts to counter tax evasion and avoidance by multinational companies. But in many countries in sub-Saharan Africa, a similar \u2013 and arguably even more pressing \u2013 campaign is being waged to improve the capacity of the state to collect domestic revenues. In 2009, despite a signally inhibitive outlook, the Burundi government implemented a number of measures to improve financial management. These included the creation of a new semi-autonomous revenue authority \u2013 the Office Burundais des Recettes (OBR). In 2012, tax revenues were 75% higher than in 2009 \u2013 a 25% increase in real terms. The contribution of tax to GDP had risen from 13.8% in 2009 to 16.7%. In this report, the OBR\u2019s management describe in detail how tax collection and administration has been reformed in Burundi. Their account highlights the actions taken to reduce corruption, improve services, implement legislative reforms and widen the tax base. The authors are clear about the difficulties confronting the OBR. Among other things, tax exemptions remain too high and the costs of taxing much of the informal economy outweigh any financial benefit. The continued success of an efficient revenue authority is dependent on a favourable political, business and legislative backdrop.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":3425,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3419","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-press-releases","category-uncategorized"],"aioseo_notices":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>OBR management at expert tax symposium in London - Africa Research Institute<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/africaresearchinstitute.org\/wordpress\/obr-in-london\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"OBR management at expert tax symposium in London - Africa Research Institute\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"Africa Research Institute (ARI) announces that it is hosting the Office Burundais des Recettes (OBR) at an expert symposium on \u201cTax in Africa\u201d. The event on Tuesday 15 October in London marks the publication by ARI of &#8220;For state and citizen: Reforming tax administration, in Burundi&#8221;. The authors of the report \u2013 Kieran Holmes (Commissioner General, OBR), Domitien Ndihokubwayo (Deputy Commissioner General and Commissioner for Customs and Excise) and Chantal Ruvakubusa (Commissioner for Domestic Taxes and Non-Fiscal Revenues) \u2013 will highlight the achievements of the OBR over the past three years. Diplomats, UK parliamentarians, academics, tax experts, journalists, and representatives from donor agencies and the private sector will participate in the discussion, focusing on the lessons to be gained from Burundi\u2019s experience of reforming tax administration. Edward Paice, Director of Africa Research Institute, said: \u201cWe are delighted to welcome the OBR team to London. The OBR\u2019s progress is quite remarkable under the circumstances, with important implications for tax administration in other post-conflict countries in Africa. We look forward to a candid and constructive dialogue between experts.\u201d Media enquiries: Edward Paice, Director, Africa Research Institute (44) 207 222 4006 Notes to editors: Tax is high on the agenda in Africa. At an international level, advocacy groups and the G8 have called for greater efforts to counter tax evasion and avoidance by multinational companies. But in many countries in sub-Saharan Africa, a similar \u2013 and arguably even more pressing \u2013 campaign is being waged to improve the capacity of the state to collect domestic revenues. In 2009, despite a signally inhibitive outlook, the Burundi government implemented a number of measures to improve financial management. These included the creation of a new semi-autonomous revenue authority \u2013 the Office Burundais des Recettes (OBR). In 2012, tax revenues were 75% higher than in 2009 \u2013 a 25% increase in real terms. The contribution of tax to GDP had risen from 13.8% in 2009 to 16.7%. In this report, the OBR\u2019s management describe in detail how tax collection and administration has been reformed in Burundi. Their account highlights the actions taken to reduce corruption, improve services, implement legislative reforms and widen the tax base. The authors are clear about the difficulties confronting the OBR. Among other things, tax exemptions remain too high and the costs of taxing much of the informal economy outweigh any financial benefit. The continued success of an efficient revenue authority is dependent on a favourable political, business and legislative backdrop.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/africaresearchinstitute.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Cover-For-state-and-citizen-with-border.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@AfricaResearch\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@AfricaResearch\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Yovanka ARI\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/africaresearchinstitute.org\/wordpress\/obr-in-london\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/africaresearchinstitute.org\/wordpress\/obr-in-london\/\",\"name\":\"OBR management at expert tax symposium in London - Africa Research Institute\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/africaresearchinstitute.org\/wordpress\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/africaresearchinstitute.org\/wordpress\/obr-in-london\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/africaresearchinstitute.org\/wordpress\/obr-in-london\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/africaresearchinstitute.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Cover-For-state-and-citizen-with-border.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2013-10-14T15:31:14+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2013-10-14T15:44:05+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/africaresearchinstitute.org\/wordpress\/#\/schema\/person\/03660fee7530e23ea5b5e53fe67eedf2\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/africaresearchinstitute.org\/wordpress\/obr-in-london\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/africaresearchinstitute.org\/wordpress\/obr-in-london\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/africaresearchinstitute.org\/wordpress\/obr-in-london\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/africaresearchinstitute.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Cover-For-state-and-citizen-with-border.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/africaresearchinstitute.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Cover-For-state-and-citizen-with-border.jpg\",\"width\":2480,\"height\":3508},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/africaresearchinstitute.org\/wordpress\/obr-in-london\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/africaresearchinstitute.org\/wordpress\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"OBR management at expert tax symposium in London\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/africaresearchinstitute.org\/wordpress\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/africaresearchinstitute.org\/wordpress\/\",\"name\":\"Africa Research Institute\",\"description\":\"Building on the Dynamism in Africa Today\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/africaresearchinstitute.org\/wordpress\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/africaresearchinstitute.org\/wordpress\/#\/schema\/person\/03660fee7530e23ea5b5e53fe67eedf2\",\"name\":\"Yovanka ARI\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/africaresearchinstitute.org\/wordpress\/author\/y-ariyigasdhb76r\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"OBR management at expert tax symposium in London - Africa Research Institute","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/africaresearchinstitute.org\/wordpress\/obr-in-london\/","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_title":"OBR management at expert tax symposium in London - Africa Research Institute","twitter_description":"Africa Research Institute (ARI) announces that it is hosting the Office Burundais des Recettes (OBR) at an expert symposium on \u201cTax in Africa\u201d. The event on Tuesday 15 October in London marks the publication by ARI of &#8220;For state and citizen: Reforming tax administration, in Burundi&#8221;. The authors of the report \u2013 Kieran Holmes (Commissioner General, OBR), Domitien Ndihokubwayo (Deputy Commissioner General and Commissioner for Customs and Excise) and Chantal Ruvakubusa (Commissioner for Domestic Taxes and Non-Fiscal Revenues) \u2013 will highlight the achievements of the OBR over the past three years. Diplomats, UK parliamentarians, academics, tax experts, journalists, and representatives from donor agencies and the private sector will participate in the discussion, focusing on the lessons to be gained from Burundi\u2019s experience of reforming tax administration. Edward Paice, Director of Africa Research Institute, said: \u201cWe are delighted to welcome the OBR team to London. The OBR\u2019s progress is quite remarkable under the circumstances, with important implications for tax administration in other post-conflict countries in Africa. We look forward to a candid and constructive dialogue between experts.\u201d Media enquiries: Edward Paice, Director, Africa Research Institute (44) 207 222 4006 Notes to editors: Tax is high on the agenda in Africa. At an international level, advocacy groups and the G8 have called for greater efforts to counter tax evasion and avoidance by multinational companies. But in many countries in sub-Saharan Africa, a similar \u2013 and arguably even more pressing \u2013 campaign is being waged to improve the capacity of the state to collect domestic revenues. In 2009, despite a signally inhibitive outlook, the Burundi government implemented a number of measures to improve financial management. These included the creation of a new semi-autonomous revenue authority \u2013 the Office Burundais des Recettes (OBR). In 2012, tax revenues were 75% higher than in 2009 \u2013 a 25% increase in real terms. The contribution of tax to GDP had risen from 13.8% in 2009 to 16.7%. In this report, the OBR\u2019s management describe in detail how tax collection and administration has been reformed in Burundi. Their account highlights the actions taken to reduce corruption, improve services, implement legislative reforms and widen the tax base. The authors are clear about the difficulties confronting the OBR. Among other things, tax exemptions remain too high and the costs of taxing much of the informal economy outweigh any financial benefit. 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