This year’s Global Digital Development Forum, held in May, highlighted Kosovo’s impressive achievements in digital service provision to tax paying citizens in a video presentation. The forum convened approximately 400 people from various sectors and institutions worldwide to discuss innovations in the digital economy, share lessons learned, and highlight successful innovations - like Kosovo’s. For some time, the Tax Administration of Kosovo (TAK) has been working on integrating digital solutions – an advancement that has continuously improved its service to tax paying citizens. When the administration developed its Integrity Improvement Plan in 2020, with support from USAID’s Economic Governance Activity, the purpose was to improve efficiency and transparency to taxpayers. They solicited feedback from the taxpayers themselves to gather useful insights and practical advice. The taxpayers noted that many tax services were time-consuming and outdated. To respond, TAK introduced several new digitized services, including the submission of financial statements by business organizations, which has reduced compliance burden and increased TAK efficiency, saving time for both businesses and the institutions.
In addition, with USAID support, TAK transitioned from in-person to online educational seminars for taxpayers, thereby improving the information retention and taxpayer outreach, publishing decisions on taxpayer complaints online, and training TAK front desk and call center officers on customer service. All of these changes lead to increased transparency and public trust. Nora Kokaj, a team member of USAID’s Economic Governance Activity, explained in the presentation the importance of digitizing the administration’s services. ”Digitalization is not just helpful for tax filing but for increasing internal process efficiencies, citizen communication and inflow, and archiving and disseminating tax information via online seminars and informational videos.” USAID’s Economic Governance Activity continues to support TAK to further improve taxpayer services, accountability, and transparency as preconditions to developing a modern tax system that reduces informality, mobilizes domestic revenue, and supports the economic development of the country.
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