The West African Union of Tax Institutes (WAUTI) is an association formed by the
Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria
The Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN) is a professional organization in Nigeria whose members are certified as qualified tax practitioners or administrators.
Organization
The CITN was formed in February 1982 and chartered by the ...
(CITN) and the
Chartered Institute of Taxation of Ghana
The Chartered Institute of Taxation, Ghana (CITG) is the regulator of the practice of taxation in Ghana. It is the only body in Ghana that can certify tax professionals.
History
The institute began operating as a professional body in 1978, and t ...
(CITG) with the objective of developing and promoting the taxation profession in
West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Maurit ...
.
A nationally recognized taxation institute or organization in a West African country is eligible for full membership.
Inauguration
The union was inaugurated on 11 May 2011 by
James Victor Gbeho
James Victor Gbeho (born 12 January 1935, in Keta, Ghana) is a Ghanaian lawyer and diplomat who was President of the ECOWAS Commission from 2010 to 2012, to which position he was unanimously elected at the 37th Summit of the Authority of Heads o ...
, President of the
Economic Community of West African States
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS; also known as in French and Portuguese) is a regional political union, political and economic union of fifteen countries located in West Africa. Collectively, these countries comprise an ...
(ECOWAS).
[
The ceremony was held during the 13th Annual Tax Conference organized by the CITN.
The first president of the union is Prince ]Rasaq 'Kunle Quadri
Prince Rasaq Adekunle Quadri is a Nigerian accountant who was President of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN) from 2009 to 2011, and was elected the first President of the West African Union of Tax Institutes (WAUTI) in March ...
, former president of the CITN. Speaking at the inauguration, Quadri stated that the WAUTI, which was being funded by the CITN and CITG, needed about $136,776 for the first year of operation. This would cover capital requirements, wages and other operational expenses.[
Speaking to reporters, Quadri said "it is a matter of concern that the level of tax awareness in the sub-region is abysmally low when viewed against the backdrop of the benefits that would accrue from a focused and conscious efforts at developing the sector".
]
Executives
As of September 2013 the president of the union was Mike Kofi Afflu who also doubles as the President of the Chartered Institute of Taxation, Ghana
The Chartered Institute of Taxation, Ghana (CITG) is the regulator of the practice of taxation in Ghana. It is the only body in Ghana that can certify tax professionals.
History
The institute began operating as a professional body in 1978, and t ...
. The Vice President was Mark Antony Chidolue Dike, who was also the president of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria
The Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN) is a professional organization in Nigeria whose members are certified as qualified tax practitioners or administrators.
Organization
The CITN was formed in February 1982 and chartered by the ...
. The Honorary Treasurer of the Union was Adesina Adedayo, who had been the pioneer treasurer from inauguration. The Honorary Secretary was Oumar Traore from Cote D'ivoire
Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre is ...
.
Membership
In April 2011 Quadri noted that in addition to Ghana, CITN had been promoting tax institutes in other West African countries. He said that Liberia, Gambia and Benin were close to launching their individual tax institutes.
Soon after formation of the WAUTI, in June 2011 a stakeholders meeting kicked of the process for forming the Association of African Tax Institutes The Association of African Tax Institutes (AATI) is an industry association whose aim is, among other things, to provide a platform of collaboration between tax professionals in Africa and to help bridge the divide between tax professionals in the ...
(AATI). The AATI will be formally inaugurated in South Africa in October 2011 during the Annual Tax Conference of the South Africa Institute of Taxation
The South African Institute of Tax Professionals (SAIT) is a recognised professional body focusing solely on taxation. It is a registered professional body under the National Qualifications Framework Act, 2008. The Institute is a professional asso ...
.
Policy
At the conference where WAUTI was launched, Quadri called on the Nigerian Federal Government to overhaul the tax laws to bring them into line with global best practices and to remove unrealistic provisions.
Gbeho said he wanted the WAUTI to be a platform of developing and harmonizing tax policies in West Africa.
Gbeho noted that the ECOWAS countries had agreed on a minimum 20% ratio of revenue to gross domestic product (GDP), which was required if ECOWAS was to established a monetary union, as had been discussed. However, only Cape Verde and Ghana had met this criterion. The other 13 countries fell below the 20% target.
References
{{reflist , refs=
[{{cite web
, url=http://www.saturday.tribune.com.ng/index.php/taxation/22611-wauti-solicits-n21m-take-off-fund-from-stakeholders
, title=WAUTI solicits N21m take-off fund from stakeholders
, work=]Nigerian Tribune
The ''Nigerian Tribune'' is an English-language newspaper published in Ibadan, Nigeria. It was established in 1949 by Obafemi Awolowo and is the oldest running private Nigerian newspaper.
In the colonial era, the newspaper served as the mouthpie ...
, author=Matthew Emmanuel
, date=27 May 2011
, accessdate=2011-06-21
Organizations established in 1982
Tax practitioner associations
1982 establishments in Africa