Follow-up Training on the Tax Gap Toolkit

ATI and UNU-WIDER continue their collaboration to strengthen tax gap analysis capacities.

On 7 May 2025, the Addis Tax Initiative (ATI), in partnership with the United Nations University World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU-WIDER), successfully delivered a follow-up training session on the recently developed Tax Gap Toolkit, which supports tax administrations in estimating tax compliance gaps using the bottom-up method enhanced by machine learning techniques. The toolkit was developed by the UNU-WIDER team of researchers with the support of the ATI.

A total of 64 tax officials from ATI member countries joined the four-hour virtual training. The session was led by the UNU-WIDER research team responsible for designing the toolkit and was tailored primarily for participants working directly on tax gap estimation tasks within revenue authorities—particularly those with experience in data analysis and the use of Stata. However, the training was also open to all interested officials wishing to strengthen their understanding of modern, data-driven approaches to revenue mobilisation.

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The training placed a strong emphasis on practical exercises, complemented by necessary theoretical explanations to ensure participants were well-equipped to apply the Tax Gap Toolkit effectively in the practical segment of the training. Prior to the session, participants received guidance on installing the required software and downloading training materials to enable a smooth and interactive experience. Given the practical, hands-on nature of the training, participation was limited to ensure a focused and engaging learning environment — with interest exceeding the session’s capacity.

The toolkit is accessible to countries that use risk-based or operational audits.

This follow-up session forms part of ATI’s ongoing efforts to strengthen the capacities of partner countries in tackling tax gaps and improving domestic revenue mobilisation (DRM).

The ATI Secretariat extends its gratitude to all participants for their active engagement and to UNU-WIDER for its continued support in delivering high-quality, evidence-based training.

All interested authorities are invited to reach out to the ATI Secretariat via secretariat@taxcompact.net in case they are interested in applying the toolkit in their work.