Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) Commissioner General Githii Mburu has been appointed the vice chairman of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), a Global Forum on transparency and the exchange of information for tax purposes.
The intergovernmental organization, which has 38 member countries, was established in 1961 to promote economic progress and global trade.
It provides a forum for governments to share their experiences, seek solutions to common challenges, identify best practices, and develop high standards for economic policy.
Mburu was appointed as the vice chair during the 15th Global Forum Plenary meeting held last week in Seville, Spain.
He will be in office for three years, beginning in January 2023.
In his new role, the Commissioner General will be a member of the Global Forum executive, which will be in charge of implementing strategies to influence and promote cooperation among tax authorities on the Exchange of Information on Requests (EOIR), Automatic Exchange of Information (AEOI), capacity building, and technical assistance to tax administration in the fight against tax evasion.
He will work alongside the Global Forum Chair (France), two other Vice-Chairpersons (Italy and Japan), and sixteen (16) other members from various countries.
His appointment raises the profile of Kenya and Africa in terms of tax transparency and participation in the Global Forum.
His appointment follows the completion of his two-year term as the first Chairperson of the Africa Initiative, a regional institute established to increase the potential of tax transparency and exchange of information (EOI) in Africa.
The Initiative’s mission is to equip African countries with the tools they need to improve global transparency and combat tax evasion.
The Africa Initiative is a collaboration between the OECD Global Forum on Tax Transparency and Information Exchange, its African members, and a number of regional and international organizations and development partners.
In June 2022, Kenya hosted the 11th Africa Initiative Meeting, a high-level strategic engagement to advocate for tax transparency and EOI at the continental level, as well as to promote the Yaoundé Declaration and demonstrate the impact of tax transparency and EOI in domestic resource mobilization.
