Event description
Effective tax policy design increasingly depends on the ability to analyse how taxpayers respond to laws, enforcement, and administrative practices in real time. While much of the global evidence base on taxation has relied on aggregated or survey data, administrative microdata, such as tax returns for major tax heads (CIT, VAT, PAYE), customs declarations, payroll data, and firm registries, now allow researchers and policymakers to study tax systems with unparalleled precision. These datasets enable evaluation of policy reforms, measurement of behavioural responses, and assessment of revenue and efficiency impacts in ways previously infeasible.
Across African countries, recent investments in modernising tax administration and digitalising tax records have generated increasingly rich administrative datasets. Yet systematic use of these data for tax policy research remains limited. Empirical evidence on how tax systems operate in practice, how firms and individuals respond to incentives, thresholds, enforcement intensity, or policy reforms is still scarce, and opportunities for the exchange of ideas between researchers and tax administrations remain fragmented.
Together with Ghana Revenue Authority, University of Ghana, UNU-WIDER, and the International Growth Centre, the Tax Justice Network is organising a workshop in Accra, Ghana on 11-12 June 2026 focusing on Administrative Data and Tax Policy Analysis in Africa.
The workshop builds on the global Admin Data for Tax Justice initiative and follows its initial convenings by providing a regionally focused, research-driven platform centred on African administrative data. The workshop brings together researchers and practitioners to present and discuss empirical studies that use administrative microdata to analyse tax policy design, implementation, and outcomes in Africa.
A key feature of the workshop is the presentation of research papers that use exclusively African administrative datasets. Contributions will examine how different tax instruments and reforms affect revenues, taxpayer behaviour, compliance, and economic efficiency, using firm or individual-level data. By emphasising empirical rigor and clear identification strategies, the workshop aims to strengthen the credibility and policy relevance of administrative data-driven tax research in Africa.
In addition to paper presentations, the workshop will feature a keynote presentation and structured discussions on methodological challenges and best practices in working with African administrative microdata. These discussions are intended to support both researchers seeking to use administrative data and tax administrations interested in leveraging research to inform policy and operational decisions.
The overarching objective of the Accra workshop is to deepen the use of administrative data for tax policy research in Africa, while contributing African evidence to global debates on taxation. By convening a focused group of researchers and practitioners, the event seeks to strengthen research–government collaboration, foster a growing community of practice, and support the development of high-quality empirical work that can inform tax policy reform on the continent and beyond.
Details of the workshop
Dates: 11–12 June 2026
Location: Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research, University of Ghana, Accra
Attendance: In-person
Submission Deadline: 31 March 2026
Notification of Acceptance: 17 April 2026
Submission Requirements: Full paper
Submission Method: Papers should be submitted via the online submission form
Keynote Speakers: To be announced
Organisers: Tax Justice Network, UNU-WIDER, University of Ghana, Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and the International Growth Centre
- Contact: [email protected]