Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA) Commissioner General James Dorbor Jallah has called for deeper integration among West African tax administrations.
Jallah emphasized the importance of stronger regional cooperation to boost domestic resource mobilization, and address cross-border, and digital tax challenges.
According to a release, Jallah spoke at the 8th West African Tax Administration Forum (WATAF) High-Level Policy Dialogue, and 23rd General Assembly in Accra, Ghana.
He recommended for the next phase of WATAF to move beyond cooperation to greater integration among tax administrations in the region.
He recalled how Liberia has benefited significantly from regional cooperation, and knowledge sharing.
Mr. Jallah described Liberia’s experience as an example of how WATAF membership can strengthen national tax administration.
“Liberia’s story is, in a real sense, the WATAF story: an administration made stronger by belonging.”
He said, the increasingly integrated nature of trade, capital flows, digital commerce, and multinational business activities require tax administrations to deepen regional integration.
“The taxpayer has integrated. The question before us is whether the tax administrator will integrate too.”
Jallah outlined key priorities for regional tax integration, including one rulebook, one data space, one voice against illicit financial flows, and one green frontier.
Under the one rulebook, he called for harmonized tax rules in West Africa, particularly on transfer pricing, treaty policy, and taxation of the digital economy, to reduce revenue leakage, and strengthen the region’s negotiating position.
On the issue of one data space, he said, there is a need for stronger cross-border information exchange and secure, interoperable systems linking customs information, beneficial ownership records, and other relevant tax data to strengthen compliance.
Jallah also highlighted the need for coordinated regional action against illicit financial flows, including greater information sharing, coordinated customs valuation, and closer monitoring of mining, and oil exports.
He meanwhile, urged West Africa to present a united voice in international tax discussions.
“The global tax rules of this decade are being written now. West Africa should not be a footnote in that text. We should be an author.”
On environmental taxation, Mr. Jallah called for a coordinated one green frontier approach to carbon, pollution, and other environmental taxes to protect regional competitiveness, advance environmental goals, and expand access to climate finance.
He also underscored the growing importance of domestic resource mobilization amid declining development assistance, rising debt-service pressures, and climate-related challenges in the region.
He stressed that stronger domestic resource mobilization is critical to financing national priorities, and sustainable development.
He urged development partners to increase support for regional tax infrastructure, including shared systems, common standards, and institutions that strengthen cooperation among national revenue administrations.
Jallah then challenged West African tax leaders to build on WATAF’s first 15 years by making the next 15 years an era of greater integration.
“Let us leave Accra having wagered even bigger, on a West Africa whose tax administrations are as integrated as its economies, as connected as its people, and as confident as its future demands.”
The WATAF event, which runs from September 15–19, was held under the theme: “Building Stronger Tax Administrations for Revenue Mobilization, and Sustainable Development.”
It brought together heads of tax administrations, policymakers, regional institutions, development partners, and other stakeholders, who discussed tax administration, domestic resource mobilization, and sustainable development across West Africa.
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