U.S. to provide Federal Tax-Enforcement Assistance

February 3, 2005
No. 08/05

Addis Ababa (U.S. Embassy) – On February 3, 2005, the United States Government signed an agreement with the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (FDRE) to provide technical assistance to the Federal Inland Revenue Authority (FIRA) in the area of criminal tax enforcement. Ambassador Aurelia E. Brazeal signed on behalf of the U.S. Government; Minister of Revenue Getachew Belay signed on behalf of the Ethiopian Government.

The technical-assistance program will focus on assisting FIRA develop organizational structures and policies to identify, investigate, and prosecute criminal tax violations more effectively. Training and technical expertise, set to begin at the end of February, will be provided to FIRA by the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Technical Assistance.

Technical assistance will be provided in areas such as developing an overall criminal tax enforcement strategy along with criteria to achieve the broadest base of tax law compliance, reviewing current tax and related laws, identifying and encouraging the use of ‘best practice" investigative tools and techniques within the parameters of existing law, and developing a Criminal Investigation and Prosecution Manual of Operations. A series of training courses for FIRA staff will focus on tax-crimes investigation and intelligence gathering, standards of evidence, legal rights of those investigated, investigative methods and techniques, interviewing, and case-report writing.

This program is part of the U.S. Government’s continuing efforts to assist Ethiopia reform its tax administration and operations. The U.S. Government strongly supports the Government of Ethiopia’s efforts to create a more transparent and predictable tax system, both as a means for increasing public revenue and creating an investment climate in which businesses can flourish.