Senegal is hosting the 12th annual International Tax Conference of the Union of Tax Orders of West Africa (UDOFAO), a strategic meeting bringing together experts, administrations and partners around the mobilization of domestic resources and tax harmonization in the sub-region.

Organised in collaboration with the tax section of the National Order of Experts of Senegal (ONES), this edition is placed under the theme: "Taxation and economic sovereignty in West Africa: harmonizing fiscal autonomy for inclusive growth".

Mohamed Dièye, a certified tax expert, president of the tax section of ONES and first vice-president of UDOFAO, emphasized the importance of the subject in the current context. According to him, the economic sovereignty of states rests primarily on their ability to effectively mobilize their domestic tax revenues to finance their public policies.

"The chosen theme is more topical, because economic sovereignty is the foundation of the economic and social policy of our authorities. So, as you know perfectly well, whoever talks about economic sovereignty is talking about fiscal sovereignty, that is to say, finding the internal revenues to achieve the ambitions of our new authorities," he argued.

The conference brings together delegations from 11 UDOFAO member countries, as well as representatives from key institutions such as the tax and customs authorities. Technical and financial partners are also participating in the discussions, fostering enhanced cooperation.

At the heart of the discussions is the issue of tax harmonization within regions such as ECOWAS and WAEMU. While progress has been made regarding border taxes, participants acknowledge that harmonizing domestic taxation remains a challenge due to states' desire to preserve their sovereignty. However, a convergence of tax systems appears necessary to encourage investment and facilitate economic mobility within the region.

During this meeting, several major themes are addressed, including taxation in a digitalized and globalized environment, public finance governance, management of extractive industries, international tax conventions, as well as the fight against illicit financial flows and tax evasion.