Kombo South NAM attends WATAF meeting

The forum engaged various experts and stakeholders around tax administration in the subregion to contribute significantly to the objective of establishing a single market in the ECOWAS region through an enhanced and efficient tax administration system.

The 3-day meeting organised by the West African Tax Administration Forum (WATAF) and held in Paria, Cabo Verde is expected to wrap up today, Friday.

WATAF seeks to encourage strong collaboration amongst ECOWAS member states towards the improvement of the quality of tax administration in respective states. WATAF also strives to promote efficient and effective tax administration in Member States.

In his remarks at the opening ceremony, Hon Barrow said an efficient tax administration system is a major prerequisite towards the attainment of a sound economy and the establishment of a single market, where trade and investment will spur our region to development.

He added that one major way to achieve that is through the harmonisation and effective implementation of tax legislations as well as the consolidation of various tax systems within the ECOWAS region.

He reaffirmed that the harmonisation of tax laws of ECOWAS Member States is a prerequisite for the realization of a Common Market, which will also contribute to achieving coherence in domestic taxation systems and ensure equal treatment for economic operators within the community and improving the yield of the various taxes.

According to him, the ECOWAS Parliament believes it is high time for us to begin negotiating bilateral and multilateral tax agreements. It also is time to eliminate unhealthy tax regimes in our region to harness the benefits of various tax legislations and policies spearheaded by ECOWAS Commission and approved by the ECOWAS Parliament. This would promote a successful implementation of a single market, through a truly harmonized tax system.

Following the conclusion of the WATAF meeting, the legislator for Kombo South Constituency will proceed to Accra, Ghana to attend the ECOWAS Parliamentary Seminar and 2023 Second Extraordinary Session to be held from 29th September to 8th October.

The extraordinary session is being convened to consider and adopt the 2024 budget estimates of the ECOWAS Parliament.

The topic of the seminar is “The challenges of unconstitutional regime change and presidential term limits in West Africa – The role of the ECOWAS Parliament.”

The former majority leader of The Gambia National Assembly will finally participate in the ECOWAS Election Observation Mission to the Republic of Liberia from 5th – 13th October 2023 before returning home.