East Africa's digital customs win praise from tax chiefs
Commonwealth tax administrators visiting Arusha commended the region's shared customs territory and its electronic tracking of cargo across borders.
Arusha — The heads of tax authorities from across the Commonwealth have praised the East African Community for the way it uses technology to collect revenue and move goods across borders, the regional body said.
Commissioners from the Commonwealth Association of Tax Administrators visited the community's headquarters in Arusha while in Tanzania for their 46th annual meeting, held from 5 to 9 October on the theme of using technology for efficient revenue collection.
What they were shown
The community's secretary-general, Stephen Mbundi, pointed to three things:
- The Single Customs Territory, which he said has simplified customs procedures and cut the cost and time of doing business in the region.
- EACBond, a digital platform.
- The Electronic Cargo Tracking System, which follows consignments as they move.
He credited the two platforms with better monitoring of cargo, more transparency, more secure revenue and easier cross-border trade. Regional integration and effective revenue administration, he said, reinforce each other.
What comes next
The two sides discussed where they might work together:
- digital tax administration;
- exchanging information across borders;
- transfer pricing;
- taxing the digital economy;
- combating illicit financial flows;
- training and institutional capacity;
- coordination between tax, customs and trade agencies.
Participants noted the growing role of data analytics, artificial intelligence and secure information-sharing in tax compliance and in fighting evasion.
The East African Community has eight member states: Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda.
Source: East African Community, 8 October 2026.
