SEPTEMBER 2025 - Flipbook - Page 8
NEWS
Mauri琀椀us Hosts Regional Workshop to Strengthen African Tax Systems
The regional Tax Administration
Diagnostic Assessment Tool (TADAT)
workshop, held from 8 to 12 September
2025, was inaugurated on Monday
8 September 2025, at the Integrated
Customs Clearance Centre in Plaine
Magnien. The event was officially
opened by Junior Minister of Finance, Mr
Dhaneshwar Damry, who emphasized the
importance of regional collabora琀椀on in
strengthening tax systems across Africa.
highligh琀椀ng the signi昀椀cance of peer-topeer learning, knowledge transfer and the
development of homegrown solu琀椀ons to
common challenges.
Organized jointly by the Mauritius
Revenue Authority (MRA) and the TADAT
Secretariat, the workshop centered on
the theme: ‘Beyond 10 Years of TADAT
Assessment: Building Stronger Tax
Systems for Tomorrow with Field Guide
2025’. The gathering brought together
representa琀椀ves from 22 African countries,
In his keynote address, Mr Damry
underscored that the participation
of regional counterparts was vital for
fostering a collaborative environment
where best practices and innovative
solu琀椀ons could 昀氀ourish. He described
the workshop as a 琀椀mely opportunity
to re昀氀ect on lessons learned, plan for
Attending the inauguration alongside
Junior Minister Damry were the DirectorGeneral of the MRA, Mr Rohit Ramnawaz;
the Head of the TADAT Secretariat, Mr
Modeste Mopa; and the Country Director
of AFRITAC South, Mr Sukhwinder Smith.
an updated TADAT 昀椀eld approach and
reinforce regional coopera琀椀on.
He also highlighted the government’s
ongoing e昀昀orts to modernize and reform
the public sector under the guiding
mo琀琀o: ‘Reform, Perform, and Transform’.
Regarding public 昀椀nance accountability,
the Junior Minister reiterated the
government’s focus on transparency,
reliability and responsibility. He
emphasized that the Mauri琀椀us Revenue
Authority is being strengthened with
greater emphasis on physical transparency
and equity, aiming to establish a fairer,
more e昀昀ec琀椀ve and trusted tax system.
Addressing regional challenges, Mr Damry
pointed out that revenue collection
remains a primary concern for African
nations. He stressed the importance
of mobilizing sufficient domestic
resources to meet the aspira琀椀ons of their
popula琀椀ons and sustain inclusive growth.
He rea昀케rmed that e昀케cient and e昀昀ec琀椀ve
tax administration is the backbone
of a resilient economy and expressed
con昀椀dence that the TADAT framework
will play a crucial role in achieving this
goal.
Concluding his remarks, the Junior
Minister stated, “During this workshop, we
can all rea昀케rm our shared commitment to
building tax systems that are fair, e昀케cient
and capable of mee琀椀ng the challenges of
tomorrow”.
Mauri琀椀us Conducts Training to Support Transi琀椀on from ARC to Revenue Tribunal
A capacity-building programme was held
on Monday 8 September 2025, at the seat
of the Assessment Review Commi琀琀ee
(ARC) in Port Louis. The ini琀椀a琀椀ve aimed
to support the transi琀椀on from the ARC to
the newly established Revenue Tribunal
by enhancing the skills and knowledge of
ARC o昀케cers and other key stakeholders,
ensuring a smooth and e昀昀ec琀椀ve handover.
Organised collabora琀椀vely by the ARC and
the Ministry of Finance, the event was
conducted under the theme: ‘The Role of
a Specialised Revenue Tribunal in the Tax
Landscape – Insights from Interna琀椀onal
Best Prac琀椀ces’. The gathering brought
together representa琀椀ves from the ARC,
the A琀琀orney General’s O昀케ce, the Ministry
of Finance, the Law Reform Commission
and the University of Mauri琀椀us.
The opening ceremony was led by the
Acting Chairperson of the ARC, Mr
Goolshan Sharma Jorai. The training
session itself was facilitated by Professor
(Dr) Victor Van Kommer, Director of
Capacity Building Services and a Member
of the Execu琀椀ve Board of the Interna琀椀onal
Bureau of Fiscal Documenta琀椀on.
In his address, Mr Jorai highlighted the
ongoing prepara琀椀ons for the transi琀椀on
following the enactment of the Revenue
Tribunal Act two months prior. He recalled
that the ARC had already made signi昀椀cant
progress, notably improving the pace of
08
decision delivery, with two out of its three
divisions now meeting the legislative
target of pronouncing decisions within 90
days of a hearing.
He also noted that despite the reduc琀椀on
from four divisions to three, the number of
cases disposed of during the past 昀椀nancial
year had increased markedly, re昀氀ec琀椀ng
the Commi琀琀ee’s enhanced e昀케ciency.
To further support the impending
transi琀椀on, Mr Jorai emphasized that the
ARC had launched various capacity-
building ini琀椀a琀椀ves aimed at its members
and key stakeholders. “These e昀昀orts are
designed to strengthen ins琀椀tu琀椀onal skills
and ensure that the Revenue Tribunal
operates effectively and fulfills its
mandate”, he concluded.
