Sustainable mobilisation of tax revenues to enhance economic growth in Sub-Saharan Africa: Challenges, opportunities, and possible areas of reform

Abstract

Domestic revenue mobilisation is fundamental if African countries are to fund investments in health, education, infrastructural development, economic growth, human capital development, security, and prosperity to attain the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. Some goals focus on eradicating poverty, reducing inequalities, strengthening institutions, and providing decent work. This requires resources and investment, yet Sub-Saharan African countries continuously struggle to mobilise enough revenue to meet basic government objectives. Through a critical literature review, this paper focuses on sustainable tax revenue mobilisation in Sub-Saharan African Countries, discussing the challenges, opportunities, and prospects for possible amelioration of tax systems. Challenges identified to explain the ineffectiveness of revenue mobilisation in these countries include the presence of a significant informal sector, weak tax administration capacities, the growth in the digital economy, corruption, governance quality, and increased tax avoidance and evasion by multinational companies. Possible prospects include taxation of the digital economy, taxing the informal sector, the capacitation of tax authorities, and the broadening of tax bases.