Posted by the Revenue Administration Division of the IMF's Fiscal Affairs Department.
During June 1 - 5, 2009, the Fiscal Affairs Department conducted a seminar at the Joint African Institute (JAI) on strategic planning and management for high-level tax administration officials from 17 Anglophone African countries. The purpose of the seminar was to provide (1) the principles for strategic management in tax administration; (2) a model for incorporating sufficient discipline in the process to ensure that program decisions are strategic and will lead to systematic improvement in tax compliance as determined by improved business performance; (3) practical examples of how specific countries have implemented the principles discussed; and (4) an opportunity for the participants to exchange ideas about the application of strategic management principles with the leaders of other tax administrations. The topics covered the major components of strategic management process, including: mission, vision and values; risk assessment and management; priority setting and resource allocation; business planning; and plan monitoring and execution.
Revenue administration authorities in developed countries are using increasingly sophisticated strategic planning and risk management approaches. During FAD technical assistance missions, we consistently find, however, that developing countries experience considerable difficulties in this area. This one-week course is designed to leverage our country-specific technical assistance, and covers the entire strategic planning process, with emphasis on effective strategy formulation and development of business plans to drive accountability and performance improvements (e.g., improved compliance and taxpayer services leading to improved revenue performance). Similar courses have been offered to countries in North and South Eastern Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Central and South America.
