Tax treaties in spotlight as UN Tax Convention negotiations deepen - ICTD News story on how bilateral tax treaties are being considered in negotiations for a UN Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation.

🌍 In August, negotiators at #UNTaxConvention face tough talks on how new rules would impact the vast web of bilateral tax treaties already in force around the world.

Read more: ow.ly/v49l50YwTFl

#TaxExperts #InternationalTax #GlobalTaxGovernance

Cover of Working Paper 237 on willingness to pay for waste collection services in Conakry, featuring pie chart graphics and author names.

Pay up or pile up. That's the choice facing Conakry, Guinea, where just 44% of daily waste is collected — and the current system covers only 22% of its own costs.

New ICTD research asks: can tax-based financing close the gap? ➡️ https://ow.ly/ZVSu50YveHl

#TaxExperts #GlobalRecyclingDay

Collection of diverse bestselling books including biographies, novels, and cultural stories with vibrant covers and distinct titles.

#BookRecommendations: Looking for a book to start this weekend? The women in the ICTD & Local Government Revenue Initiative (LoGRI) teams have curated a list of must-read books either about women or written by women➡️ https://ow.ly/O6jO50YsNka

#InternationalWomensDay #IWD2026 #WomenAuthors

ICTD early-career researchers submit PhDs, advancing tax research in low-income countries - ICTD ICTD is proud to announce that two of its early-career researchers have successfully submitted their PhD theses on tax systems.

🚺This International Women’s Day, we celebrate our colleagues and students!

We are proud to announce that two of our early-career researchers, Adrienne Lees & Sripriya Iyengar Srivatsa, have successfully submitted their PhD theses.

Read their story: https://ow.ly/i4nY50YrLlM

#IWD2026 #TaxReseach

📈The number of women in parliaments globally has slowly but steadily increased over the years. In Uganda, this went from 2 women in 1962 ➡️189 women in the current parliament.

Does this translate into more gender-focused tax policies? More➡️ https://ow.ly/q6e950YqthS

#IWD2026 #InternationalWomensDay

Webinar: Protocol 1 in focus - progress and the way forward - ICTD This webinar will give you a clear picture of where things stand and what comes next on the UN Tax Convention Protocol 1.

Catch ODI Global's webinar next week to see what's the latest on the ongoing negotiations for protocol 1 (cross-border services taxation) under the #UNTaxConvention. ICTD's Frederik Heitmüller will join the panel of experts.

📅 March 17 | 14:00-15:30 GMT
👉 Register: https://ow.ly/x65j50Yq7EG

Five recommended reads on gender and tax for International Women’s Day 2026 - ICTD For International Women's Day, we’ve selected five essential ICTD reads that explore the intersection between gender and tax.

At ICTD, gender has always been a central pillar of our work. And this work is becoming much more urgent.

For #IWD2026, We’ve selected 5 essential reads that explore the intersection between gender and tax ➡️ https://ow.ly/l1s650YqrAz

#InternationalWomensDay #TaxResearch #TaxExperts #TaxReads

🚺This International Women's Day, we celebrate the insipiring women in our network!

When people talk to colleagues who work on gender and tax, their reactions vary from confusion to curiosity.

Jalia Kangave reflects on the realities of her work through poetry ➡️ https://ow.ly/75UM50YpAY5

#IWD2026

From Venezuela to Portugal: how an ICTD alum is bridging research and tax reform across continents - ICTD We spoke with Rosa Maria Rodrigues De Abreu, 2022/23 alumna of the ICTD Research on Tax and Development course.

🚺This International Women's Day, we celebrate our students!

After 25 years in Venezuela’s tax administration, Rosa Rodrigues de Abreu was not afraid to challenge the unknown. In 2019, she moved to Spain and in 2022 she joined our course.

🔗Read her story: https://ow.ly/IeQT50Ypxon

#IWD2026

Zakat as Non-State Social Welfare Provision: Distributional Dynamics and Gender Equity in Pakistan - ICTD We examine the distributional dynamics of zakat in Pakistan to help understand non-state welfare provision in a Muslim-majority country.

🌙As Ramadan begins, attention turns to zakat — one of the five pillars of Islam. As many Muslims choose to pay zakat during Ramadan, this month represents a key period for wealth redistribution.

But how much is actually paid? And to whom?
Find out➡️ https://ow.ly/C9rk50YhJMN

Max Gallien Umair Javed

Roadblock taxation: the dangers of extra-legal payments in Ethiopia - ICTD In recent years, Ethiopia has witnessed a significant rise in one particularly harmful extra-legal practice: roadblock taxation.

Informal revenue generation methods can have a developmental role but practices like roadbloack tax serve private rather than public interests.

What does the spread of these taxes say about state authority in Ethiopia? ➡️ www.ictd.ac/blog/roadblock-taxation-...

UNU-WIDER, Zambia Revenue Authority and International Centre for Tax and Development invite proposals using administrative tax data, using our new secure data lab in Zambia. Topics include tax administration, corporate taxation, tax policy and economy. Deadline: 28 Feb 2026.

👉 go.unu.edu/gEAlY

Call for consultant for Morocco case study on tax and data governance - ICTD ICTD is seeking a consultant to produce a Morocco case study as part of a research project on tax administration and data governance.

#CallForApplications: ICTD is seeking a consultant to produce a Morocco case study as part of a research project on tax administration and data governance.

📝Details: www.ictd.ac/news/call-for-consultant...

#Career #ResearchJobs

Three people stand in front of a backdrop featuring GRA and blue winged logos at an official event.

Our researchers Max Gallien and Vanessa van den Boogaard recently joined senior leaders of the Ghana Revenue Authority to present insights from our latest work 👇

Explore ICTD's recent research on Ghana here ➡️ https://ow.ly/Hs5g50YcbNy

#TaxExperts #TaxPolicy #TaxResearch #Tax4Dev

Art card of the event bearing the text: "Tax Dispute Resolution Under the UN Convention on Tax: Lessons from investment arbitration".

🏛️ With #UNTaxConvention negotiations underway, how should tax dispute settlement under Protocol 2 take shape? Tomorrow, our researcher Frederik Heitmüller will share his insights in this panel hosted by International Institute for Sustainable Development.

More info➡️ https://ow.ly/XFrj50Y8T1N

Outdoor mobile money service stalls with colorful umbrellas and customers in a busy market setting.

Newly published ICTD study on Tanzania's #MobileMoney levy: businesses adapted by bundling payments, but most don't understand the tax. Those who do view it negatively.

Read the article, published in the Development Policy Review, here ➡️ https://ow.ly/FEk850Y89sl

📸 Fiona Graham / WorldRemit

Tall glass skyscraper behind a row of international flags fluttering under a partly cloudy blue sky.

ICTD's @martinhearson.bsky.social and Frederik Heitmüller will be speaking at an academic symposium on the #UNTaxConvention, hosted by NYU's International Tax Program.

👉 Check here for details: https://ow.ly/Zuaf50Y84kU

#UNTaxConvention #TaxExperts #InternationalTax #GlobalTax

Night city skyline with glowing international currency symbols orbiting a digital globe above skyscrapers.

#UNTaxConvention talks resume next week, and Protocol 1 on cross-border services is back on the agenda.

Our brief maps the pathways and trade-offs negotiators face. It finds that success depends on aligning frameworks with political realities and varied capacities.

See: https://ow.ly/eHWv50Y5kGA

What Senegal’s VAT reforms reveal about taxing cross-border services - ICTD Across Africa and beyond, governments are extending VAT to cross-border supplies of services, with Senegal a recent adopter.

As the #GlobalForumOnVAT discusses digital sourcing & cross-border taxation, Senegal’s VAT reform provides valuable insights: legal alignment with international norms is one thing, implementation another.

🔗Full analysis: www.ictd.ac/blog/senegal-vat-reforms...

Wide view of the United Nations General Assembly hall with rows of empty yellow seats and a large emblem on the golden wall behind the podium.

Prepare for the 4th #UNTaxConvention session next week, with our reading lists:

🏛️On the framework and process: https://ow.ly/bMfw50Y1JrS

🌍 On protocol 1 (cross-border services): https://ow.ly/b3SC50Y1JrU

⚖️ On protocol 2 (dispute prevention & resolution): https://ow.ly/IhwK50Y1JrV

#GlobalTax

A collage of the pictures of five students from the ICTD course with a superimposed text that reads: Why tax professionals choose the ICTD course?

For over a decade, our Research on Tax and Development course has supported students in building skills they now apply across policy, practice, and academia.

On #InternationalDayOfEducation, we celebrate our alumni and their impact ⬇️ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LdBNUnccMg

High Net Worth Individuals calling to be taxed more at World Economic Forum, but how does this work in practice? - ICTD Last week, over 250 billionaires and millionaires called on global leaders at the 54th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum to impose higher taxes on the extremely wealthy. Here's what ICTD researchers have to say on the proposal.

🌍 As the #WorldEconomicForum wraps up in Davos, an increasing number of the world’s wealthiest are calling to be taxed more.

Read our analysis on the topic here: www.ictd.ac/news/high-net-worth-indi...

#TaxJustice #TaxTheRich #TaxResearch

Taxing smarter is the key to thriving in an era of declining aid - ICTD With 2025, the development sector changed for good. Today scaling up tax mobilization is a essential to succeed in the post-aid era.

Many will remember 2025 as a pivotal year for the development sector.

In a new Devex op-ed, Giulia Mascagni explains how it is not all doom and gloom as the focus to getting the next era of development right should be: taxation

➡️ www.ictd.ac/blog/taxing-smarter-key-...

Cover of the UNU-WIDER paper entitled 'The panopticon taxman: The impact of e-invoicing on VAT compliance in Uganda'

How is e-invoicing affecting VAT compliance in #Uganda?

New research, published by
UNU-WIDER
and co-authored by ICTD's Adrienne Lees, shows reporting shifts among firms more tightly enforced under the new mandate 👉ow.ly/HU9e50Y0yKV

#TaxExperts #VAT #TaxCompliance

Busy street scene with numerous auto rickshaws, cars, and pedestrians navigating a crowded urban area.

Nigeria’s tax reform bills recently took effect, aiming to boost domestic revenue & build a more inclusive tax system.
The reforms exempt 97% of small informal operators & target the top 3% - but can this be implemented in practice?

Find out more about informal taxation on our website 🔗

Increasing tax collection in African countries: The role of information technology - ICTD Abstract Many African countries struggle to collect an adequate amount of tax revenue to support needed...

Our Research Fellow Fabrizio Santoro's paper, co-authored with @oyebolaoo.bsky.social, was one of the most read articles online of @oxfordcsae.bsky.social's #JournalofAfricanEconomies in 2025! 🎉

Read their paper on the role of IT in tax collection here ➡️ ow.ly/87vJ50XW4CT

#TaxExperts #openaccess

Prof Joshi giving a presentation at an ICTD workshop on Gender and Tax, held in Ghana, November 2016.

We congratulate Prof Anuradha Joshi, a long-time collaborator of ICTD, for her recent appointment as Director of our homebase, the Institute of Development Studies! 🎉

Read the full story here: https://ow.ly/a4Pz50XU6mA

#DevelopmentResearch #TaxResearch #GenderAndTax

With a looming 2027 deadline for a #UNTaxConvention, significant challenges remain. In an interview with
@taxnotes.com, our researcher Frederik Heitmüller flagged fundamental questions on how it will function in practice and relate to existing tax agreements: ow.ly/bnxP50XTYNg

#TaxExperts

Warm congratulations to Professor Anuradha Joshi on her appointment as Director of @ids.ac.uk.

A long-standing collaborator with ICTD, Prof Joshi has helped shape important research on women and taxation. We look forward to continuing this engagement!

#Taxation #TaxInAfrica

A diverse group of 30 people from the ICTD team posing on outdoor stone steps in front of a brick building with a wooden door.

This year saw a big shift in the development sector, one marked by challenges for many countries.
To our tax & development community: your collaboration has been essential; thank you for your continued trust & engagement as we work together towards effective & equitable tax systems.

Happy holidays!