Tax administrators must keep up with the dynamics occasioned by disruptive new technologies of the 21st century, and arm themselves with the necessary skills, capacity and character for effective and efficient tax administration in the fourth industrial revolution age.
Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service and president of Commonwealth Association of Tax Administrators (CATA) Mr. Muhammad Nami gave the advice in his charge to the 2022 CATA senior leadership cohort to mark the end of the programme held at His Majesty’s Treasury Headquarters, London, United Kingdom.
Mr. Nami said due to technological advancements in actualising human needs, fulfilling social interactions and conducting commercial activities, the way and manner of tax administration is constantly changing. He thus called for tax administrators to keep up with the times by improving on their skills and competence in line with these changes.
“The global tax arena is continually changing,” he noted. “The growing reliance on technology for much of basic human needs, social interactions and business dealings means that the tax-turf remains in a state of constant flux.
“The taxman is only able to match the depth and pace of the changes if equipped with relevant, adequate and up-to-date skills,” Nami said last Friday.
The CATA president praised Commonwealth Association for its investments and contributions through its Senior Leadership Programme, which he noted has helped bridge the capacity gaps of tax officials in member countries.
Mr. Nami urged the 20 participants drawn from senior tax officials in commonwealth countries to put the knowledge and skills they have acquired during the programme into good use for the benefit of their countries, while further calling on the cohort to maintain and sustain the network of colleagues they have met during the programme.
The CATA Senior Leadership Programme is a yearly senior-level leadership 0rogramme delivered by His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) on behalf of the Commonwealth Association of Tax Administrators. It pools together senior leaders of tax authorities in Commonwealth countries to equip them with the requisite leadership skills to navigate their organisations in a dynamic and complex landscape. The programme recognises the importance of good leadership to result-driven tax administration in the 21st century.
