African revenue authorities gather in Balaclava, Mauritius for the inaugural meeting of the ATAF General Assembly on 25 – 27 July.

This marks a significant landmark for ATAF which was launched in Kampala, Uganda in 2009. It has been hailed as one of the more significant developments in Africa in recent times.

The meeting of ATAF´s first General Assembly will see the convergence of its 34 members states, development partners, international organizations, academics and business.

The seminar part of the event will have speakers and panels on a range of topics relating to tax evasion and avoidance. It will look at different approaches to tax audits, enforcement and compliance. The administrative session will receive the ATAF annual report and Council report of ATAF activities for 2011.

Working to establish ATAF and a functioning organization has been hard work, but very exciting, says ATAF Acting Executive Secretary Logan Wort. We are grateful for the tremendous leadership and support from the ATAF Council. The responsiveness of ATAF members has meant that ATAF could grow and offer good value to its members already in its first year of existence.

At this first General Assembly, we hope to report to members the progress we have made in establishing ATAF and get further guidance on how to improve the role ATAF should play in building strong and capable revenue authorities in Africa.

African revenue authorities have over the past year been working together to lay the foundation for better revenue administration on the continent and the first General Assembly will provide further impetus, he added.

Official Picture of the First General Assembly of ATAF