One of the main challenges facing the administration of public revenue in Ethiopia is the inadequate level of administrative capacity in the tax and customs administration. The Institute of Tax and Customs Administration (ITCA) was established under the Ethiopian Civil Service College to undertake the task of upgrading the capacity of civil servants in tax and customs administration areas through training, research and consultancy. ITCA's main mandate is to support the Ethiopian Revenues and Customs Authority (ERCA) to overcoming this challenge. In order to achieve its goal ITCA needed some technical assistance to build its own capacity to support ERCA.
In 2009 Crown Agents was engaged to provide capacity building support to Institute of Tax and Customs Administration by Ethiopian Revenues and Customs Authority (ERCA) in a project funded by the World Bank.
We have assisted ITCA through providing training in training skills and consultancy skills, reviewing and developing curriculum for BSc and MSc in Public Finance Management, delivering short term training on tax and customs technical areas.
Staff members from the ERCA were trained on Tax Fraud Investigation and Intelligence, Tax Audit, Tax Planning and Revenue Forecasting, Transfer Pricing, Customs Risk Management and Profiling, Customs Intelligence and Investigation, Strategic Management in Customs, and Non Intrusive Inspection of Goods Using Scanners.
This project intervention focussed on sustainable outcomes: the ITCA is now equipped to deliver accredited training on technical tax and customs operation to ERCA staff, both now and in the years to come. The course modules are designed to foster best practice throughout tax and customs administration. The intervention should positively influence the behaviour and performance of ERCA staff in the future and this in turn will contribute to a more business-friendly trading environment in Ethiopia.