The Mauritius Revenue Authority (MRA) hosted the 13th ATAF Country Correspondent Conference from 11 -12 May 2023, bringing together tax administration experts from various African countries to discuss collaborative approaches to strengthen the efficiency of tax administrations in Africa and support socio-economic development. The Honourable Dr. Renganaden Padayachy, Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and Development, graced the occasion as the Chief Guest. In his keynote address, Dr. Padayachy highlighted the importance of international tax cooperation for the development of a country, and how it is vital to building effective and efficient tax administrations. The MRA is closely working with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) to smoothly implement the two-pillar solution, including the Global Minimum Tax.
Dr. Padayachy applauded the MRA's significant role in ensuring tax compliance and providing key support schemes, such as the Wage Assistance Scheme and the Self-Employed Assistance Scheme, which helped Mauritius recover from the COVID-19 crisis. He also commended the MRA's efforts in revenue collection, with a peak of over 23% between the second semester of 2021 and 2022. Mauritius is performing well, with the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate being amongst the highest in the world. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) revised Mauritius' GDP growth for 2022 upward by 36 percent, from 6.1 percent to 8.3%, and Statistics Mauritius has forecasted that the GDP for 2023 will further increase by 5%.
The conference was a fruitful experience for all participating countries, and the MRA is committed to providing the necessary support to improve the tax system, increase its accountability, enhance domestic resource mobilization, and ultimately assist in fostering inclusive economic growth. They are looking forward to continued collaboration with ATAF and its member countries to strengthen tax administration and support socio-economic development in Africa.
Read the full press release HERE.
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