By: Nyima Sillah
Manager for Communication in the Africa Tax Administration Forum (ATAF), Ziggy Fikiri Nshimiyimana, has emphasized that, reporting on taxes is not only about figures.
Speaking with this reporter who is currently partaking in an ongoing training for the journalists’ members of African Tax Media Network (ATMEN) in Ouagadougou Burkina Faso, enunciated that Journalists should talk about the broader perspective of “taxation and policies, not only nationally but at the continental level. Also, the implications, what transfer prices are doing, and the impact it has on your country by narrowing it down to the environment, it Is not only about numbers.”
He disclosed that the angle usually used when reporting on taxation should be changed, asserting that it is time for the journalists to take a different angle where they will not only focus on the information but also educate the public on taxes.
“Journalists should be optimistic and report on positive things about taxes. They should not only write when something goes wrong, or when there is breaking news,” he harped.
The level of tax reporting in Africa, he pointed out, is not low but some areas need improvement, noting that reporting on taxes should be looked at more broadly as it is not ‘just’ the numbers but also the soft part of taxation, the implications and positive impacts of taxation. “Journalists should not just focus on the numbers, especially when numbers are not being attended,” he further stressed.
The Manager for Communication of ATAF continued that it is time for Africa to start telling its stories in its own way. “No one should come and change the narrative for us. We should shift from that stage.” To have any information about the African taxation landscape, in most cases, “you consult a European media, whereas we also have a media in the continent,” he lamented.
He, therefore, assured ATAF’s commitment to supporting journalists in capacity building considering the complexity of tax reporting. “It is not easy to report on taxes. So, we would provide capacity building to the media so that they can develop their storytelling technique from a complex topic to our audience, and ensure that there is always reliable information available for journalists to do their work, as we have done so much research and data collection that are reliable.”
