In 2020, as Covid-19 slammed borders shut and governments slashed budgets, Amosa’s team at Samoa’s Ministry of Customs and Revenue launched the Tax Invoice Monitoring System (TIMS) built on DTI’s TaxCore. Many doubted whether digital fiscalization could thrive in a cash-based economy. Today, the numbers tell a different tale: revenue collection has nearly doubled.

Todorov leaned forward, his tone warm yet incisive. “Theresa, welcome to Serbia. We are so pleased to have you here.” He wanted to revisit the heart of the matter, the revenue impact. “You implemented TIMS right at the outbreak of Covid-19. You mentioned it had a measurable effect. Was that impact immediate, or did it build over time? When exactly did you begin to see revenue grow?”

Amosa answered without hesitation, her voice steady with hard-won insight. “We launched in 2020 amid economic uncertainty and fiscal pressure. In terms of revenue growth, we started noticing it around two to three years after implementation.” But something far more telling happened first.

5 Conclusions on Samoa Tax Revenue Growth

1. Deterrence Beats Enforcement: Simply knowing the TIMS powered by TaxCore was watching changed taxpayer behaviour immediately. Samoa’s Parliament cut revenue targets by 10%, yet collections dropped only 1% in the first year of COVID, proving anticipation of visibility drives compliance more powerfully than penalties.
2. People First, Technology Second: With over 6,000 taxpayers and just ten auditors, success came from cultural sensitivity. Amosa’s team used everyday Samoan language, offered free smartphone POS apps, and personally advised businesses before purchases, turning confusion into cooperation.
3. Flexibility Wins Vendor Challenges Instead of rushing penalties, the ministry showed patience with slow or expensive vendors. Creative workarounds, like manual tablet loading for major taxpayers, kept businesses compliant while DTI helped ensure fair pricing.
4. Real-Time Data Transforms Auditing: TIMS eliminated months-long manual checks. Auditors now compare live TaxCore data against declarations, quickly catch under-reporting, calculate liabilities for non-filers, and shift the burden of proof to taxpayers.
5. Cultural Understanding Drives Lasting Success: Amosa wouldn’t change a thing: respecting Samoa’s cash-based culture and close-knit community was essential. The result? Nearly doubled revenue in five years, with plans for pre-filled returns and full automation built on strong public-private trust.

The Power of Anticipation

Before the numbers climbed, a subtle shift transformed behaviour. Taxpayers realized their sales would now stand visible and monitored. That awareness alone changed how they declared income.

“There was a behavioural change, a deterrence effect,” Amosa explained. “Just the taxpayers’ anticipation that their sales would be more visible really changed their behaviour in terms of declaring the right amount of sales.”

Samoa’s Parliament had braced for disaster, cutting the ministry’s revenue targets by 10 percent. Instead, core taxes collected by Inland Revenue Services fell by only one percent. Amosa’s eyes lit up with quiet wonder as she recalled the moment. “Can you believe that? The system had not even needed to catch anyone. The mere knowledge that it was watching proved enough.”

This early deterrence bought precious time. Real, sustained Samoa tax revenue growth followed. By the five-year mark, the ministry collected nearly double what it had before TIMS. The technology worked, but only because people embraced it.

The Human Side of Digital Transformation

Seasoned tax officials know the truth: technology is never the hardest part, people are. Samoa counts more than 6,000 taxpayers, but its audit team numbers barely over ten. When TIMS went live, business owners felt bewildered. Would they need expensive new equipment? What if their point-of-sale systems failed? What if they lacked reliable internet?

Amosa’s team responded with pragmatism and deep cultural understanding. They translated complicated requirements into clear, everyday Samoan. They created awareness materials that matched accredited solutions to specific industries. Most importantly, they invited taxpayers to talk before buying anything.

“The last thing we need is a wrong path,” Amosa said. Her team even offered a free POS application that worked on smartphones and tablets.

Todorov listened with clear admiration. “You really went the distance to consult taxpayers about what they need to do. In many other countries, especially with larger taxpayer bases, this is not a practice tax authorities would follow.”

Amosa nodded. “We always encourage them, before they actually purchase an EFD, to come and talk to us to make sure they are on the right path.” She smiled at the memory. “We translated it into simple everyday language using our own Samoan language just to explain to them that it’s nothing completely new. To them, it’s all about finding the right solution.”

In a close-knit island nation where relationships matter, this personal touch proved fundamental. It turned potential resistance into cooperation.

Overcoming the Vendor Bottleneck

Taxpayers formed only half the challenge. Vendors supplying electronic fiscal devices created another persistent hurdle. Some quoted “ridiculously high prices” for accreditation. Others moved slowly, especially when Samoa represented just one small client.

Lacking in-house developers, the ministry relied on DTI’s expertise to judge whether costs were fair. One memorable case involved one of Samoa’s top ten taxpayers. Their unique system had no other users in the country, and the overseas vendor showed little urgency to certify compliance.

Amosa found a practical solution. The business installed tablets running the web invoicing app and loaded products manually while awaiting full integration. “We managed to load their products onto these tablets,” she recalled. “The tablets were provided by the taxpayer, so that was evidence that they were willing to comply. It’s just that the vendor support was causing the delay.”

Double entry created temporary inconvenience, but it kept the business compliant. When Todorov asked about possible collusion between taxpayers and vendors, Amosa shook her head firmly. “No, I wouldn’t say so. I think in a lot of the cases, it came down to delays from the vendors.”

The ministry chose patience over punishment. “We were actually very flexible,” Amosa noted. “Yes, there are penalties in the legislation, but we were not quick to apply these penalties because we wanted to first make sure that we exhausted all avenues to facilitate compliance.”

Samoa Tax Revenue Growth: Data That Sees What Eyes Cannot

Before TIMS, auditors worked largely in the dark. Self-assessed declarations often took months, or more than a year, to verify. Now, evidence flows in real time. At the end of each VAT/GST period, the ministry runs a tax-charged report on TaxCore and compares it directly against taxpayer declarations.

“There has been a lot of cases of under-reporting,” Amosa admitted candidly. Discrepancies emerged quickly. At first, officials simply asked businesses to pay the difference. When patterns repeated, penalties followed.

Todorov observed how the system removed the need for physical visits. Amosa agreed wholeheartedly. “Now, with TIMS, our team and our staff don’t need to go out and try to look for it; the evidence is right there. The responsibility falls on the taxpayer to come and explain this discrepancy.”

The system also tackled non-filers elegantly. Previously, officials made default assessments by comparing similar businesses. Today, data arrives directly from transactions as they happen. “Even if they don’t declare their tax returns,” Amosa explained, “because you’ve got that data transmitted directly from the source… you can make immediate calculations on their tax liability.”

The Public Becomes Partner

No system is entirely cheat-proof. Fraudulent QR codes sometimes appeared as “weird looking characters” on receipts. The ministry deployed mystery shoppers and launched television campaigns to raise awareness.

Most powerfully, ordinary citizens began reporting violations. “We actually have members of the general public reporting to us,” Amosa said with evident satisfaction, “saying, ‘I went to this store, I know they’re supposed to give me a physical invoice, but I got nothing instead.’”

Officials considered whistleblower rewards but paused due to conflict-of-interest concerns in such a small administration. They continue seeking the right approach.

Samoa Tax Revenue Growth: A Future of Automation and Understanding

Six years on, the journey continues. The ministry now pursues deeper integration between TaxCore and its core revenue management system. The vision includes pre-filled returns, automated calculations, and far less manual work.

“We want to automate as much as possible and reduce the risk of human error,” Amosa said. “We want to free up the staff from having to do that manual work and for them to focus more on value-added work, just analysing the data and identifying case studies.”

Todorov asked whether the ultimate aim involved presenting taxpayers with a clear bill of sales and purchases. “Yes!” Amosa replied enthusiastically. She emphasised alignment with broader goals of public-private partnership and cultural sensitivity.

When asked if she would change anything about the rollout, Amosa remained resolute. “I wouldn’t do anything different. When you’re introducing fiscalization to a small island nation that was highly cash-based, you have to really factor in the culture of the taxpayers.”

Todorov concluded with genuine warmth, gesturing around the Belgrade headquarters that had supported this transformation. “Theresa, it’s been a wonderful journey for these past six years. We have supported your ministry throughout all this time, and we are looking forward to the future, to get to the point where you become maybe one of the first world’s fully automated tax administrations.”

Amosa smiled. “The challenge is to collect the good data. You have the good data. Now we need all the other things that are maybe expensive but worth it.”

Samoa’s fiscal innovation continues, yet its lessons already resonate far beyond the Pacific. Advanced technology opens the door, but human understanding, flexibility, patience, and cultural respect, ushers people through it. In an age of ambitious digital promises, this small island nation has shown that lasting compliance grows not from threats, but from trust. The Pacific may lie far away, but its example now travels the world.

The post Samoa Tax Revenue Growth Nearly Doubled appeared first on Dti.

The foundation of this collaboration is our proven experience and results over years of work in fiscal modernization. DTI has consistently delivered its solution that enhanced transparency and reduced the compliance burden on businesses. Eswatini now stands to become a benchmark that other African nations will have an opportunity to study closely. We approach this project with humility, knowing that lasting success depends on close teamwork, not just good technology. Particular thanks go to ERS leadership, whose bold vision and steady commitment made this kick-off possible.

System implementation will follow a structured, phased approach. At first, the current Inception phase refines the technical blueprint and legal framework. Initial Capacity Building installs the system in a staging environment and trains the first user cohorts. Full Operational Capability activates the complete platform in production. Final Acceptance delivers a fully validated, independently verified solution. Equally important, the focus during each stage remains on practical readiness: secure configuration, seamless integration with existing systems, comprehensive staff training, and documentation that makes the system approachable for tax officers and businesses alike.

Key Takeaways

1. A Continental First: TaxCore’s deployment in Eswatini marks the platform’s first full implementation on the African continent, positioning the country as a potential model for tax modernization across the region.

2. Tamper-Proof by Design: Every transaction is certified at the point of sale through an electronic signature generated by a secure element that operates independently of the business invoicing system. This separation is what makes the system structurally resistant to manipulation..

3. Verification for Everyone: Compliance checks require no specialized knowledge or equipment. Any inspector can verify a document on the spot, while online verification services give both authorities and the general public the ability to authenticate records at any time.

4. Built for a Fair Market: Compliance requirements are fully transparent, allowing any technology supplier to build a compatible solution. Businesses of all sizes and sectors are accommodated, and no single vendor holds a structural advantage.

5. Real Revenue Impact: Eswatini faces a meaningful tax gap rooted in under-declared transactions. Comparable deployments have delivered VAT collection increases of 8% to 48% in targeted sectors. With every sale independently certified at the source, under-reporting becomes structurally difficult rather than merely discouraged.

Eswatini Implements TaxCore: From Years of Vision to Today’s Launch

Interest in modern VAT monitoring and fiscalization in Eswatini has been building for years. Moreover, the Eswatini Revenue Service has shown consistent vision and determination, steadily advancing toward a modern, transparent tax system through careful public procurement. Discussions began back in 2015–2016 and evolved through several formal Expressions of Interest and tender initiatives focused on Electronic Fiscal Devices and broader digital tax monitoring solutions.

Henceforth, this clear and persistent policy direction reached an important milestone with the Request for Proposals issued in May 2025. Data Tech International actively participated in the competitive evaluation process, which included detailed technical assessments and site visits to live TaxCore deployments in other countries. Following this thorough and professional evaluation, DTI was selected as the successful bidder.

Today, that patient journey of preparation turns into reality. We are proud to begin the official implementation and deliver a solution that will bring real benefits to Eswatini.

TaxCore: Closing the Tax Gap in Real Time

At its essence, TaxCore functions as a real-time fiscal monitoring system built on one clear principle: every payment document must contain complete transactional data so the system can verify correct tax calculation and prevent any manipulation. A dedicated secure element, independent of the business invoicing system, achieves this by applying an electronic signature to every transaction at the moment it occurs. The separation of these two components is deliberate and fundamental. It ensures that no single party controls both the business logic and the integrity seal, which is what makes the system genuinely tamper-proof rather than merely compliant on paper.

Generally, this architecture does not impose a one-size-fits-all solution on businesses. The secure element and invoicing system can operate as separate products or as a fully integrated unit, and the system ensures that producing a certified document introduces no delay to normal business operations. Every document clearly identifies its issuer, and in business-to-business transactions, the system equally protects the identity of the purchasing party with an electronic signature, safeguarding both sides of the transaction from any unauthorized modification.

Deployments across Europe and the Pacific have produced consistent results, including higher voluntary compliance, reduced revenue leakage, and meaningful increases in tax collection without any change to tax rates. Eswatini will draw directly on those proven capabilities.

Inspection Without Bureaucracy

One of TaxCore’s defining strengths is how it handles verification. A tax inspector in the field does not need sophisticated technical knowledge or specialized equipment to confirm that a document is authentic. At this point, the integrity of any payment document can be checked immediately and on the spot, making routine compliance verification fast and practical. For deeper audits, authorized personnel follow a unified inspection method that extracts transaction data from the secure element, preferably in encrypted form, through a standardized process that works consistently across all businesses.

Beyond official inspection, verification services are available online and through multiple channels, so that both authorities and members of the public can authenticate documents at any time. The system makes electronic journal records accessible in human-readable form, either through the invoicing system or via a secure data collector, ensuring that transparency extends beyond those with technical expertise.

A Level Playing Field and a Better Experience

TaxCore is also designed with the broader market in mind. Compliance requirements are fully transparent, meaning any technology supplier can build a compatible solution and compete fairly. Furthermore, a wide variety of invoicing system models is supported to accommodate businesses of different sizes, sectors, and operational needs. The system does not favor any particular vendor or create barriers that concentrate the market.

For businesses and citizens, the day-to-day experience is straightforward: payment documents, whether printed or electronic, present tax information clearly and unambiguously to the customer. There is no fine print, no ambiguity about what was charged and why.

Eswatini Implements TaxCore: Why This Matters?

Eswatini currently faces a tax gap driven largely by under-declared transactions. TaxCore addresses this directly. Because the system certifies every sale at the source and signs it independently, it not only discourages under-reporting but makes it structurally difficult. At the same time, the system’s simplicity and accessibility make honest compliance the path of least resistance for businesses that want to operate cleanly.

The numbers from comparable deployments speak for themselves: jurisdictions implementing similar fiscalization platforms have recorded VAT collection increases of between 8% and 48% in targeted sectors, with broader improvements in tax-to-GDP ratios as digital tools widen the base and reduce administrative friction.

Finally, DTI is proud to support Eswatini on this path. We are confident that a successful implementation here will carry weight well beyond the country’s borders, and we intend to earn that outcome every step of the way.

The post Eswatini Implements TaxCore – Game Changer Arrives! appeared first on Dti.

CEO of Data Tech International, Goran Todorov noticed this blind spot early. Not as a theorist or a bureaucrat, but as a student working behind the till. He sold cars, he sold fireworks, he worked in hospitality and construction. And everywhere he stood, he saw the same leakage. A transaction here, a skipped receipt there. At the end of the week, the money that should have travelled to the government had a habit of staying put. “It’s not something I consider normal,” he says now, speaking from the vantage point of two decades in the tax technology business.

That early discomfort planted something. Todorov, who went on to found Data Tech International and build its flagship product TaxCore, is not a typical chief executive. He does not talk like a salesman. He talks like someone who has watched the same problem unfold across five continents and decided that the only fix is to stop trusting people to do the right thing and start building a system where they have no other choice.

Key Interview Takeaways

1. Tax fraud is a design problem. When a business can delete a transaction and nobody will ever know, some people will.
2. The only honest tax system is one where the seller, the buyer and the government see the same receipt at the same time. Not weeks later. Not after reconciliation. At the exact moment the sale happens.
3. The internet is not everywhere. Cyclones happen. Networks fail. A system that requires constant connectivity is a system that will break. The right solution works offline, stores encrypted sales locally, and syncs when the world comes back online.
4. You do not need to raise tax rates to collect more. Fiji lowered its rate before implementing real‑time monitoring. Revenue still went up. The money was always there. It was just hiding.
5. Artificial intelligence will not save you if your data is rotten. Every prediction, every risk score, every clever algorithm is garbage without a trusted digital fingerprint at the point of sale. First, secure the transaction. Then let the machines learn.

The Fog of the Sale

Here is the problem that TaxCore exists to solve. When you buy something, three parties have an interest in that transaction. You want proof of purchase. The business wants its revenue. The government wants its slice of value added tax or sales tax. But for most of modern commerce, those three records have lived separate lives. The business keeps its books. The government receives a summary weeks or months later. And the customer walks away with a piece of paper that might as well be a napkin. “Fraud lives in asymmetry. When the customer, the business, and the government each hold a different version of the same transaction, the system is already compromised”, DTI head confirmed.

That gap is where tax evaporates. A business can underreport sales. It can delete transactions from its electronic records. It can run two sets of books, one for the accountant and one for the taxman, and dare the authorities to catch the difference. In Sweden, before the country introduced fiscalization in 2008, authorities estimated that seventy percent of point-of-sale transactions went undeclared. The value added tax at the time stood at twenty five percent, the highest in Europe. The incentive to cheat was simply too strong.

An Engineering Problem?

Todorov saw this as an engineering problem. When governments do not trust businesses to report honestly, and customers cannot verify tax submission, the system must remove human discretion from the moment of sale entirely. And this exactly what TaxCore does! It adds a security layer to every transaction.

The point-of-sale system, whether a traditional till or a mobile phone, signs and encrypts the data at the exact moment the sale occurs. That encrypted package becomes immutable. It can only be decrypted by the tax authority. The business cannot go back and alter it. The customer can scan a QR code to verify that the receipt is real and that the information has reached the government. In this way, the system creates a tripod, three identical views of the same transaction—and ensures that any attempt to change one leaves a visible mark.

Tax Fraud Prevention: The Submarine Test

Furthermore, what makes this interesting, and what sets TaxCore apart from simpler monitoring systems, is that DTI designed it for a world where the internet does not always work. He likes to say that the system can handle a taxpayer selling hot dogs from a submarine. The point is serious. In Fiji, where TaxCore first went live as a commercial off the shelf solution, cyclones are a fact of life. In late 2010’s, a cyclone knocked out the main data centre. The back office went dark. But businesses continued operating. Their secure elements, either on premises or in the cloud but outside the affected data centre, kept signing transactions. Days later, when the centre came back online, everything reconciled. Not a single transaction was lost.

“By separating transaction integrity from central availability, we removed the authority as a point of failure, without removing it from control”, Todorov said.

That resilience matters more than most people realize. Tax authorities are terrified of becoming a single point of failure. If the government’s system goes down and businesses cannot process sales, the political blowback is immediate and brutal. So, most fiscalization efforts have proceeded cautiously, often badly. Todorov’s approach was to decouple the back office from the businesses entirely. Thus, The government can fail without stopping commerce. The data simply waits.

The Pacific Laboratory

Fiji was the first, but it was not the easiest. The country reduced its tax rate before implementing the system, a clever piece of sequencing that softened resistance from the business community. Collection went up anyway. The extra revenue came not from raising rates but from capturing what had always been missing. That is the magic of good tax technology. It does not need to punish anyone. It just needs to make cheating impossible.

Samoa followed, though not without drama. Todorov and his team arrived to run workshops and complete the implementation. Then Covid closed the borders. They were stranded for three extra months. During that time, they built the capacity of the Samoan Revenue Authority to run the system themselves. When a new government came in after the election, promising to abolish the Tax Invoice Monitoring System, the revenue authority pushed back. They had seen the data. Compliance had improved. Revenue had held steady even when the island was closed. The new minister was convinced. To this day, Todorov says, the Samoan authorities have not issued a single penalty. Taxpayers are complying voluntarily because the alternative is a system that leaves no room for argument.

There is a lesson there, one that transcends the Pacific. Good tax administration is not about enforcement. It is about eliminating the uncertainty. When the numbers tell the truth by themselves, nobody has to be the bad guy.

Tax Fraud Prevention: The Zapper and the Phantom

None of this would have been possible, Todorov acknowledges, without the academic work of Professor Richard Ainsworth from Boston University and his “fraudsters will only stop when they know there is a high probability they will be caught” approach. Ainsworth coined the terms “zapper” and “phantomware” to describe the software tools that dishonest businesses use to erase transactions from their electronic records. In the early days of computerised accounting, this was happening everywhere. People were silent about it. Ainsworth gave it a name and made it visible. New York State held public hearings. Washington State went further, making electronic sales suppression a criminal offence and requiring offenders to use monitoring systems during a probationary period. TaxCore became the tool they used.

That Washington State project was a turning point. It proved that the system could work not just in small Pacific island nations but in one of the most sophisticated tax jurisdictions in the world. It also proved something else. Tax authorities do not need to buy a solution that forces every business into a single proprietary ecosystem. TaxCore is an open standard. The technical specifications are published. Anyone could build a competing system, though Todorov notes that it would take a great deal of money and a great deal of effort. The important thing is that the government sets the standard and the market adapts. Businesses can keep using their existing point of sale software. They just have to connect it to the secure layer.

“Fraudsters don’t respond to regulation; they respond to risk. As Richard Ainsworth said, once the likelihood of being caught is high enough, behavior changes”, Todorov agreed with the professor’s approach.

The AI Revolution

What comes next is artificial intelligence, though Todorov is careful not to get carried away. TaxCore already uses machine learning to detect anomalies. But he warns that AI on bad data produces bad conclusions. The foundation has to be solid first. You cannot exercise tax fraud prevention if you cannot trust the underlying transactions. That is why the digital fingerprint matters. Every taxpayer receives a secure element, a kind of digital identity, that authenticates every sale. Lose it, and you can revoke it. Someone else cannot impersonate you. The system knows who issued each invoice from the moment it was created.

“We are moving from systems that store data to systems that understand it. The interface becomes simple, but the intelligence behind it becomes uncompromising”, Todorov concluded.

Over the next five to ten years, Todorov expects tax authorities around the world to continue experimenting. The European Union is moving toward VAT in the Digital Age, a concept that he and Ainsworth described in a 2013 paper about digital invoice customs exchange. Other countries are watching. But experimentation is not the same as adoption. The real challenge is political will and leadership. “The people in the public sector are not really motivated,” he says, with the frankness of someone who has tried to sell complex technology to dozens of governments. “They move very slowly. But every now and then you find a leader who wants to make a difference.”

Tax Fraud Prevention: The Peacemaker

Todorov resists the portrayal of himself as a visionary. He says the journey was never about money. If it had been, he would have gone bankrupt years ago. What kept him going was the observation that nobody else was offering this service to this particular customer. The tax authority had been left behind. The big technology firms were not interested. The consulting firms did not understand the engineering. So, a small company from Serbia, built around a man who had watched skimming happen from behind a cash register, carved out a space.

His objective now is simple. Equip a government with a tool and the capacity to operate it. Whether they use it on one taxpayer or a hundred thousand is up to them. The tool does not care. It just sits there, waiting to turn every sale into something transparent, efficient, and fair. That word, fairness, comes up repeatedly. Not fairness to the government. Fairness to the honest taxpayer who plays by the rules while watching competitors skim. Fairness for the customer who pays the tax and expects it to reach its proper destination. Fairness for businesses that should not be disrupted by clumsy enforcement.

In the end, Todorov says, TaxCore is a peacemaker. It reconciles the duty to collect with the effort to comply. It removes the question so that nobody has to ask it. And in a world where governments are desperate for revenue and citizens are desperate for trust, that might be the most valuable thing a piece of software can do.

The post Tax Fraud Prevention: Receipt Tells the Truth appeared first on Dti.

The numbers are sobering but not yet catastrophic. On Tuesday the IMF released its latest World Economic Outlook. Global growth this year is now projected at 3.1%, down from the 3.4% that chief economist Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas had been ready to announce before hostilities erupted on February 28th. Oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz have fallen by about 13%, liquefied natural gas by 20%. Brent crude spiked to $120 a barrel before easing; diesel and jet-fuel shortages have rippled through supply chains all the way to the Pacific islands. Headline inflation is expected to rise to 4.4%, some 0.6 percentage points above January’s forecast. 

Growth Outlook Changed

“We were planning to upgrade growth for 2026 to 3.4%,” Mr Gourinchas told reporters, “if not for the war.” Nevertheless, he also pointed to a source of resilience the world lacked in the 1970s: far lower oil dependence, more renewables and nuclear power, and greater efficiency. “The global economy has become much more efficient in terms of how much it needs oil to produce GDP,” he said. Even so, the Fund warns that in adverse scenarios, prolonged high energy prices and unanchored inflation expectations, growth could slump to 2.5% or even 2%. 

The impact is strikingly uneven. The Middle East and Central Asia have seen their growth forecast slashed by half, to 1.9%. Saudi Arabia’s projection dropped 1.4 points to 3.1%. Emerging and developing economies, which are net oil importers in more than 80% of cases, will feel the pain almost twice as sharply as rich ones. Food-price spikes from higher fertiliser costs will hit the poorest hardest. China’s growth is trimmed to 4.4%; the euro area’s to 1.1%. America, a net energy exporter at the margin, still looks set for 2.3%, though American motorists are already grumbling at the pump. 

5 Key Takeaways 

1. Middle East war triggers a large, asymmetric supply shock. Oil flows fell 13% and LNG 20%, spiking energy and fertiliser prices, disrupting global supply chains, and lifting headline inflation to 4.4%. Net importers, especially emerging economies, are hit hardest. 
2. Global growth downgraded to 3.1% for 2026. The IMF cut its forecast from a planned 3.4% due to the conflict. In worse scenarios with prolonged high energy prices, growth could fall to 2.5% or even 2%. 
3. Impacts are sharply uneven. Middle East and Central Asia growth slashed to 1.9%. Over 80% of countries are net oil importers and will suffer nearly twice as much as advanced economies; low-income nations face steeper food prices. 
4. Policy must stay disciplined and targeted. Kristalina Georgieva rejected export controls and broad price caps. Central banks should “wait and see” while protecting credibility; fiscal support must be temporary, well-targeted, and focused on rebuilding buffers. Strong institutions are the best shock absorbers. 
5. Domestic revenue mobilization has become essential. With fiscal space squeezed by high debt, real-time systems like TaxCore® close indirect-tax gaps (VAT often 30–50% of budgets in emerging economies), boost stable revenue without rate hikes, reduce evasion, and strengthen resilience, exactly what the IMF recommends. 

Who Are the Ultimate Shock Absorbers 

Two days earlier, on April 9th, the IMF’s managing director delivered her curtain-raiser speech under the pointed title “Cushioning the Middle East War Shock”. In measured yet urgent tones she described a textbook negative supply shock: large, global and deeply asymmetric. Prices of energy, fertilisers and even obscure inputs such as helium for semiconductors have surged. Pacific island nations, sitting at the end of the longest supply chains on earth, are particularly exposed. 

The shock travels through three channels: direct price and supply effects, shifting inflation expectations (short-term ones have risen, long-term ones mercifully remain anchored), and tighter financial conditions. Spreads on emerging-market bonds have widened; the dollar has strengthened. Yet Ms Georgieva was clear about what not to do. “Go-it-alone actions” such as export controls or blanket price caps would only distort markets and push global prices higher. Monetary policy should “wait and see” while guarding credibility; central banks must stand ready to raise rates if expectations begin to unmoor. Fiscal policy must stay targeted, temporary and consistent with medium-term frameworks. Most countries, she noted, urgently need to rebuild fiscal buffers after years of high debt and rising interest payments. 

The deeper message was institutional. “Strong fundamentals, institutions and structural policies represent the ultimate shock absorbers,” Ms Georgieva declared. Countries control their own resilience; when shocks arrive, those with robust domestic revenue systems and credible institutions fare best. The Fund stands ready to provide financing, demand could rise to $20–50 billion in the near term, but countries must do the real work at home. Her peroration was blunt: “War takes away everything we work for.” 

Tax Gaps and the Fiscal Space They Create 

It is here that a practical, already-proven technology offers an almost textbook response to the Fund’s call for stronger institutions and better domestic resource mobilisation. Indirect taxes, especially VAT and GST levied on energy, fuel and essential goods, typically make up 30-50% of budget revenue in developing and emerging economies. They are also the most stable source of income during crises. Yet the shadow economy, invoice fraud and weak enforcement mean billions leak away. 

TaxCore®, a real-time fiscalisation and e-invoicing platform, directly closes those gaps. The system captures every transaction at source, eliminates leakage without raising tax rates, and delivers an efficiency gain that the IMF has repeatedly endorsed. In Fiji and Samoa, where VAT and GST can constitute up to 40% of national budgets, the system has delivered immediate, verifiable extra revenue precisely when governments needed fiscal room to protect the vulnerable. The same story is playing out in the Republic of Srpska. Worldwide, TaxCore® has already processed more than six billion invoices. 

Indirect Taxes More Than Revenue Stream

“For many emerging economies, indirect taxes are far more than a revenue stream. Public finance relies heavily on it. Protecting that backbone requires precision, not approximation,”  Goran Todorov, CEO of Data Tech International said, and added, “Domestic revenue mobilization is often discussed in policy terms, but its real impact is technical. If transactions are not captured at source, fiscal policy is operating on incomplete truth.”

The timing could scarcely be better. Many of the economies the IMF flags as most vulnerable, small island states with fragile supply chains, sub-Saharan African importers with thin fiscal buffers, are exactly the places where indirect-tax collection matters most. By generating additional revenue without new borrowing, TaxCore® restores policy space. Governments can afford targeted support for the poorest rather than blunt, distortionary subsidies. In a world of supply shocks and tight financial conditions, that breathing room is priceless. “TaxCore was designed precisely for this reality, to give governments immediate visibility over economic activity and secure revenue without increasing the burden on compliant taxpayers,” Todorov concludes.

The system is also designed for the real world. It functions with patchy internet, integrates easily with existing infrastructure, and turns ordinary citizens into partners by issuing transparent e-receipts and enabling simple fraud reporting. The result is not just higher collection but greater legitimacy: taxpayers see their money supporting public services rather than disappearing into the shadows. That public trust, as Ms Georgieva reminded her audience, is itself a structural policy and one of the best shock absorbers available. 

No Silver Bullet, but a Sturdy One 

None of this is a substitute for the broader policy mix the Fund advocates, energy efficiency, diversification, credible monetary frameworks, and ultimately peace. Digital fiscal tools cannot repair damaged infrastructure in Qatar’s Ras Laffan complex or reopen the Strait of Hormuz. But they can give finance ministers the revenue certainty they need to act decisively rather than defensively. 

Delegates gathering in Washington this week will spend much of their time discussing scenarios, coordination and the Fund’s readiness to help. They would do well to spend a little time on the concrete. When every percentage point of GDP growth is harder to come by, and every extra dollar of fiscal space is precious, closing the indirect-tax gap is one of the most straightforward, high-return reforms on offer. TaxCore® does not promise miracles. It simply does what the IMF has long urged: mobilize reliable domestic revenue, strengthen institutions and give governments the tools to cushion shocks without self-inflicted damage. 

The spring meetings opened with a clear-eyed assessment of risk. They should close with an equally clear-eyed embrace of solutions already at hand. War may take away much, but competent, transparent tax administration can help ensure it does not take away the policy space needed to protect the vulnerable and keep the global recovery on track. 

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In Vanuatu, a nation of 300,000 souls scattered across 83 islands, it feels like the arrival of something big. The system, built by Data Tech International and powered by its TaxCore® engine, is the Pacific’s third fiscal-monitoring platform after Fiji’s VMS and Samoa’s TIMS. That makes Vanuatu the latest small-island state to bet that technology, not just goodwill, is the best weapon against the informal economy and the revenue leakage that has long plagued low-capacity tax administrations. 

The launch centred on a targeted event at the Port Villa’s Warwick Le Lagon Hotel, where DCIR brought together Vanuatu’s largest taxpayers, the businesses that form the pillar of national revenue. Finance Minister Hon. Johnny Koanapo Rasou delivered the opening address, framing the reform in clear, practical terms while underscoring its mandatory nature. 

5 Takeaways

1. VSMS is now live and already processing real transactions: The system entered production with the first large taxpayers successfully onboarded. They issued the inaugural production fiscal receipts using the free web-based invoicing tool provided by Data Tech International, marking the official start of real-time digital sales monitoring in Vanuatu.  
2. Strong high-level political commitment and clear legal obligation: Finance Minister Hon. Johnny Koanapo Rasou called VSMS a “major step forward in the modernisation and digitalisation of our tax administration.” He explicitly stated that the Government of Vanuatu views it not only as a modernisation initiative, but also as a legal obligation established under the applicable legislation of the Republic of Vanuatu.
3. Phased, business-friendly rollout with support measures in place: The implementation adopts a phased approach (starting with large/very large taxpayers, followed by medium, then small and micro businesses) to minimise disruption. Businesses can choose the no-cost government web portal or any certified commercial fiscal solution.  
4. Long-term benefits emphasised by both government and DTI: DCIR Director Harold Tarosa called VSMS “an important step toward strengthening transparency and improving tax compliance across the country” that will “help create a fairer business environment.” Data Tech International CEO Goran Todorov reinforced this view, stating that digital fiscal tools deliver efficient day-to-day operations,” often reducing long-term administrative effort and costs.  
5. Vanuatu joins a Pacific club of real-time fiscal monitoring adopters: Powered by TaxCore®, VSMS makes Vanuatu the third Pacific island nation after Fiji (VMS) and Samoa (TIMS), to implement such a system. Over more than one year of structured collaboration, combined with on-site support during the launch and the successful onboarding of the first taxpayers, the project team has delivered a confident and methodical start to what they position as a cornerstone of Vanuatu’s broader digital transformation.

Vanuatu Sales Monitoring System: Commitment to Transparency and Efficiency 

The minister positioned VSMS as both a modernisation effort and a legal requirement. “The Government of Vanuatu, through the Department of Customs and Inland Revenue, is committed to strengthening the integrity, transparency, and efficiency of our tax system,” he said. “One of the key steps in this direction is the implementation of the Vanuatu Sales Monitoring System.” 

“VSMS represents a major step forward in the modernisation and digitalisation of our tax administration,” he emphasised. “It is designed to improve transparency in business transactions, promote fair competition across the market, and strengthen our ability to combat tax evasion and the informal economy.” 

At the same time, he highlighted the system’s intent to ease compliance. “At the same time, the system is intended to simplify and streamline compliance for businesses. Through the introduction of standardised fiscal solutions and digital processes, VSMS will help create a more predictable and transparent environment for both taxpayers and the tax administration.” 

Legal Obligation and Compliance Deadlines 

The minister was explicit about the obligations ahead. “I would like to emphasise that the introduction of VSMS is not only a modernisation initiative, it is also a legal obligation established under the applicable legislation of the Republic of Vanuatu.” He added: “The system is now fully operational and available for use. Businesses are expected to take the necessary steps to comply with the new requirements, including the use of accredited fiscal solutions and the issuance of fiscal invoices through the system.” 

Large and very large businesses must meet the final compliance deadline of 1 July 2026. By then, they must accredit their systems and actively issue invoices through the VSMS platform.

Recognising the practical challenges, the minister acknowledged costs while pointing to mitigating measures. “We recognize that the introduction of fiscal solutions will require certain investments on the side of businesses. For that reason, the Government of Vanuatu has taken steps to support taxpayers during this transition.” 

He framed the event’s purpose plainly: “The purpose of this session is to help you better understand the system, the compliance requirements, and the steps necessary to ensure a smooth transition.” 

Vanuatu Sales Monitoring System: Live Demonstrations and First Onboardings 

The event itself delivered on that promise of support. DCIR staff demonstrated the system live, guiding participants through onboarding. Each day, at least one taxpayer completed enrolment on stage and issued their first compliant fiscal receipt via the free web tool, transactions that marked the official start of production data capture. 

The rollout follows a phased model to minimise disruption.  Very large enterprises with annual turnover of 100 million Vatu or more have a compliance deadline of 30 June 2026. Medium enterprises with annual turnover of 10 million Vatu or more but less than 100 million Vatu have a compliance deadline of 30 September 2026. Small and Micro Businesses with annual turnover of 4 million Vatu or more but less than 10 million Vatu have a compliance deadline of 31 December 2026. 

What Businesses Have to Do

Before the applicable deadline, every business must register for enrolment in VSMS through the official link, install and maintain an accredited fiscal solution (or use the free web-based invoicing tool), and complete full enrolment in the VSMS system. 

All businesses are strongly encouraged to begin the process early to ensure timely and smooth compliance.  For guidance, accreditation details, or additional support, contact the Department of Customs and Inland Revenue (DCIR). Compliance options remain flexible: the no-cost web portal or any vendor solution that passes certification in the VSMS sandbox environment, keeping the ecosystem competitive. 

Implementation unfolded over more than a year of structured collaboration, beginning in March last year shortly after contract signing. Key milestones included legislative adoption in August, joint governance structures, system development, infrastructure setup and sandbox accreditation for vendors. During the launch, Data Tech International’s account manager Maja Miodragovic worked on-site with DCIR’s project manager George Brechtefeld, director Harold Tarosa, deputy director Collins Gesa and the dedicated VSMS team to ensure smooth operations and rapid issue resolution. 

Our View on the VSMS Journey 

Goran Todorov, CEO of Data Tech International, expressed deep satisfaction with the collaboration and optimism about its long-term impact. “It has been a sincere pleasure for us to work alongside the Department of Customs and Inland Revenue on the VSMS project,” he said. “We see this as much more than a mere compliance reform. It, definitely, is an important step in Vanuatu’s broader digital transformation, and I believe the future it opens is very promising for both government and the business community.” 

Addressing the practical concerns that many business owners are likely to have, Todorov offered reassurance grounded in the company’s experience implementing similar systems in other jurisdictions. 

How Will This Affect My Business?

“We understand that many taxpayers’ first concern is simple: ‘How will this affect my business, my daily work, and my costs?’ That concern is natural. Any new system brings adjustment,” he acknowledged. “But our experience across multiple countries shows that this change is ultimately positive. Once businesses begin using digital fiscal tools, they gain verifiable records of every transaction, better control over sales, easier accounting, stronger credibility, and more efficient day-to-day operations. In many cases, it also reduces administrative effort and the long-term cost of doing business.” 

He concluded on a forward-looking note, framing the reform as an opportunity rather than a burden. “Digitalisation may begin as a legal obligation, but very quickly it becomes a practical business advantage. That is why we are confident that, over time, taxpayers in Vanuatu will not only adapt to VSMS, but will also recognize its value for running their businesses in a simpler, more transparent, and more professional way.” 

Goran Todorov’s comments strengthen the same message from the Minister of Finance and DCIR leadership: even though the transition requires effort, every party involved will gain a modern, transparent, and mutually beneficial tax environment that makes the investment worthwhile.

Reflections from DCIR Leadership 

Director Tarosa, reflecting on the achievement, described VSMS as “an important step toward strengthening transparency and improving tax compliance across the country,” adding that it will “help create a fairer business environment while modernizing the way tax administration operates in Vanuatu.” 

With Vanuatu now the third Pacific nation, after Fiji and Samoa, to deploy a TaxCore®-powered fiscal monitoring solution, the successful go-live and first onboardings signal a confident start. The coming months will see broader enrolment, continued taxpayer support and steady expansion of the system across the business community. 

For an economy where transparent revenue collection directly supports resilience and public services, the launch of VSMS represents progress that is as pragmatic as it is purposeful. 

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Reflecting on 2025: A Year of Progress, People, and Purpose

As 2025 comes to a close, we take a moment to reflect on a year defined not only by delivery and growth, but by deeper capability, stronger teams, and a more mature product that continues to serve tax authorities with reliability and confidence.

This year was not about doing more for the sake of scale. It was about doing things better, with intention, responsibility, and care for the people behind the technology.

Advancing TaxCore® — From Capability to Maturity

Throughout 2025, TaxCore® continued to evolve in step with the fast-moving global landscape of fiscalization and e-invoicing. Our focus was on strengthening the core of the platform: performance, resilience, configurability, and regulatory adaptability.

Key areas of progress included:

• Cleaner architectures and improved modularity
• Better observability, monitoring, and audit readiness
• Enhancements driven directly by operational needs from live jurisdictions

These improvements ensure that TaxCore® remains not only compliant with today’s requirements, but prepared for what comes next.

Investing in Quality: Automated Testing as a Foundation

One of the most important internal milestones of 2025 was the formation and expansion of dedicated automated testing teams.

Their contribution fundamentally changed how we deliver software:

• Broader automated test coverage across all components
• Earlier detection of regressions and complex edge cases
• Faster, safer release cycles without compromising stability

Production readiness is built long before go-live through a structured pipeline of local development, feature testing, integration testing, and staging validation.

Building Intelligence from the Ground Up: Data, Analytics, and AI Readiness

Equally transformative was the work initiated by our data engineering and analytics teams, who took on one of the most demanding challenges: building a new TaxCore data warehouse from scratch, purpose-designed for tax administration.

This foundational effort enables:

• High-quality, structured analytical datasets
• Advanced reporting and cross-domain insight generation
• The responsible application of machine learning and AI tools to support risk analysis, anomaly detection, and compliance intelligence

Rather than applying AI superficially, we chose the harder, and correct, path: build the data foundation first.

Our People First: Growth, Recognition, and Shared Success

Everything we do is built on the strength, expertise, and commitment of our people, and we are dedicated to continuously supporting and developing our teams as well as our company. In 2025, we welcomed new colleagues with different disciplines who enriched our teams with skills, curiosity, and fresh perspectives.

In line with our commitment to taking the best possible care of our employees, we further enhanced our compensation and benefits policy, creating a well-structured system designed to support all our employees. Next year we are rolling out a comprehensive compensation and benefits program designed to:

• Reward individual performance
• Recognize collective team contribution
• Share the success of the company through profitability-linked incentives

Its purpose is to ensure transparency, fairness, and alignment with business objectives, leading to internal equity and external competitiveness.

Moreover, believing in continuous development, we established structured training programs to cultivate leadership skills, which we will continue to expand in 2026. For new employees, we implemented an onboarding program and ensured that all mentors across the company are fully prepared through comprehensive training.

We will continue to work on strengthening our people, our culture, and our organizational capabilities, ensuring that our strategic objectives are driven by the talent, commitment, and innovation of our teams.

Looking Ahead with Confidence and Responsibility

We enter the next year with larger ambitions, guided by experience and discipline. Our priorities remain clear:

• Support every client with consistency and care
• Advance TaxCore® in line with global regulatory change
• Apply analytics, ML, and AI responsibly — where they deliver real value
• Grow our teams without compromising quality, focus, or culture

2025 strengthened our foundations. This gives us confidence for the future.

Thank you to our clients, partners, and team members for being part of this journey.

HAPPY NEW YEAR – 2026

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From the PITTA meeting stage, Goran Todorov, chief executive of Data Tech International, framed the stakes of the panel, called “Real-Time Transaction Monitoring: Modernizing GST/VAT Compliance in the Pacific”, bluntly. “Real-time transaction monitoring changes the way revenue administrations work. It gives you information at the moment it happens.”

He added the warning that became the session’s refrain: “If you wait for monthly or quarterly filings… you are already too late.”

Around him sat senior officials from Fiji, Samoa, Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu, each addressing different political, technical and economic constraints, yet arriving at a shared conclusion: real-time data may be the region’s most effective weapon against revenue leakage.

5 Key Takeaways

1. Real-time tax monitoring is operational: Pacific nations demonstrated that real-time transaction data is already reshaping how governments track sales, enforce compliance, and protect revenue. As Moderator Goran Todorov put it: “If you wait for monthly or quarterly filings… you are already too late.”

2. Fiji’s results show the power of transparency at scale: With over 677 million invoices, as of today, and 46.6 billion FJD in recorded sales now visible on a public dashboard, Fiji has shifted from speculation to data-driven oversight. Compliance Director Kelerayani Dawai says the change was immediate: “The data started coming to us.”

3. Samoa proved that political turbulence doesn’t have to derail reform: Despite early pushback and a change of government, Samoa’s TIMS system survived because real-time data brought fairness and credibility to the tax process. As CEO Fonoti Talaitupu Lia Taefu said: “Electronic invoicing gave us visibility we never had.”

4. Vanuatu exposed hidden revenue and changed business attitudes: A pre-launch manual survey revealed 2 billion Vatu in previously unrecorded sales. Once TaxCore® implementation started, businesses adapted quickly. The country is now enrolling taxpayers and accrediting vendors into the system, a process Brechtefeld said is proceeding faster than expected

5. PNG sees real-time data as the key to trust in the tax system: With widespread mistrust and inconsistent assessments, PNG is betting on nationwide GST monitoring to restore confidence. Commissioner Samuel Loi argues: “We need accurate information at the point of sale. That’s where the tax is lost.”

Fiji: Proof in the Data

Fiji was the first mover, adopting digital fiscalization through VAT Monitoring System (VSMS) powered by DTI’s Taxcore® in 2017. Compliance Director Kelerayani Dawai explained why the country pushed ahead: consumption taxes are central to the national budget. “VAT or GST is 40% of Fiji’s revenue,” she said. “So that is why we have taken this step to be the first in the region.”

Before the system, Fiji relied on returns that often did not match reality. The new data stream changed the dynamic immediately. “Once the system went live, we saw businesses starting to issue receipts correctly. We didn’t have to chase them. The data started coming to us.”

The numbers she cited emphasized the Public Dashboard that was recently released and that shift: more than 656 million invoices, 46.6 billion Fijian dollars in recorded sales, and over 530,000 receipt scans by consumers verifying authenticity for every Fijian to see.

What this yielded was rare in tax administration: spontaneous compliance. “We are no longer guessing,” she said. “We can see what is happening.”

Samoa: Real-Time Tax Monitoring Through Turbulence

On another hand, Samoa’s implementation was more turbulent. Its real-time system, known as TIMS once again powered by DTI’s signature software, drew early resistance from small enterprises and became entangled in a political transition in 2021.

“When the new government came in, one of the changes they wanted to see was the removal of TIMS,” recalled Fonoti Talaitupu Lia Taefu, chief executive of the Ministry of Customs and Revenue.

To keep the system alive, officials returned to consultations and parliamentary committees. “You cannot continue with something that doesn’t have political support,” she said.

Ultimately, the government accepted the system. What convinced lawmakers, Fonoti said, was the way real-time data leveled the playing field and stabilized revenue. “Electronic invoicing gave us visibility we never had,” she said. “It reflects what is actually happening in our economy.”

It was not a story of uninterrupted progress, she added, but one of persistence. “Our staff understand the data, our taxpayers understand their obligations, and the system helps both sides.”

Vanuatu: Measuring the Invisible

In Vanuatu, the one of the newest adopters, the Inland Revenue Department plans to use real-time monitoring to expose what many suspected but could not prove: the country’s sales tax base is far larger than the records suggested.

Ahead of the Vanuatu Sales Monitoring System (VSMS) implementation which is another instance of TaxCore®, officials hired students to manually count transactions in retail shops to compare against reported sales.

George Brechtefeld, who leads the VSMS program, described the findings: “The sales in December 2023 showed that we collected an extra 2 billion Vatu.” For a small economy, the discovery was staggering. It also shifted attitudes among businesses.

“Our plan is that by November and December, we should start a roll out of the taxpayers, especially those who already have a POS system and they should get their system accredited into the VSMS, then once that is done they can transmit data into TaxCore.” Brechtefeld confirmed.

Local revenue authority has been encouraging taxpayers to pay for their own solution, specifically the external sales data controller. Then once they can transfer the data to TaxCore, intention of the Government is to refund the money to the taxpayer for the initial investment into devices.

Papua New Guinea: Trust and Scale

Papua New Guinea, the region’s largest and most complex economy, has recently signed a contract with DTI for the nationwide rollout of the Goods and Services Tax Monitoring System (GMS) powered by our TaxCore®. This way, PNG is stepping straight into the digital times. And, for Samuel Loi, Commissioner of Tax, the urgency is driven as much by public mistrust as by administrative challenges.

“The answer is yes… mistrust between taxpayers and the government is still strong,” he said. He attributed this partly to inconsistent or delayed assessments: “Taxpayers in PNG often feel uncertain about the assessments and whether they are fair or not.”

Real-time data, he said, can close that gap, especially for GST, which PNG aims to make its top revenue source. “We need accurate information at the point of sale. That’s where the tax is lost, and that’s where we must have control.”

With more than 85 percent of the population engaged primarily as consumers rather than formal employees, Loi argued that transparency at the transaction level is essential for equity.

Real-Time Tax Monitoring: A Regional Message

If the Pacific once followed global tax trends from afar, the officials here argued the opposite is now true. Todorov returned repeatedly to the question of fairness: “The moment of creation of the invoice… a seller and a buyer are aware of the transaction, as well as the government. All three parties have the same perception of the data, and you will agree that is only fair.”

The leaders on stage echoed the point in their own ways. “We have seen the difference,” Dawai said. “This supports the structure we need for the future,” Fonoti added. “When you have real information, you can protect your revenue,” Loi said. And Brechtefeld captured the sentiment most simply: “It works.”

The Broader Appeal of Pacific’s Model

Around the world, revenue authorities are searching for reliable ways to close revenue gaps without imposing new taxes or burdensome audits. What the Pacific demonstrated in a single morning was a model based on real-time facts that practically show that domestic revenue mobilization is possible within the current financial settings.

Finally, in a region often perceived as peripheral to global policy debates, the message was unambiguous: transparency is possible, affordable and operational, not theoretical. And the implications go well beyond the islands now leading the way.

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The visit coincided with a significant milestone as the project had just completed its Initial Operational Capability (IOC) phase. This phase represents a critical step toward the system’s Full Operational Capability (FOC), the stage when the VSMS will be fully operational and capable of monitoring sales across the country.

During the briefing, the DCIR team, in collaboration with Data Tech International (DTI), presented a detailed update demonstrating that the system is ready to move into the next stage. Officials highlighted the steady pace of implementation and the system’s capacity to enhance oversight in the national tax process.

The presence of the nation’s top leaders accentuated the government’s commitment to advancing digital tools for more effective tax administration. Their visit emphasized both political support and public accountability for this high-priority initiative.

System Objectives and Achievements

Ms. Maja Miodragović, DTI Account Manager, showcased the VSMS’s achievements to date, highlighting the system’s core objectives. These include reducing tax fraud and under-reporting, strengthening tax compliance, maximizing revenue collection, promoting transparency, and supporting fair competition among businesses.

The briefing highlighted how registration and accreditation activities are advancing steadily, bringing more businesses into the system. These efforts demonstrate the VSMS’s ability to integrate with existing structures while preparing for broader implementation across sectors.

Furthermore, officials presented measurable progress in each area, indicating that the system is on track to meet its design goals. The collaboration between DCIR and DTI has been focal to achieving these objectives, combining technical expertise with operational oversight.

This stage of the project reflects the government’s dedication to transforming Vanuatu’s tax system and preparing for a fully operational, digital monitoring platform.

VSMS by TaxCore: Government Endorsement and Next Steps

Both the Prime Minister and Minister of Finance expressed their satisfaction with the progress achieved. They publicly commended the strong partnership between DCIR and DTI, framing the project as a transformative initiative for Vanuatu’s fiscal administration.

“I commend the joint efforts of DTI and DCIR,” the Prime Minister said. “I am enthusiastic about the upcoming phases and eager to see the first results. We look forward to Vanuatu’s continued progress toward digital transformation.”

Finally, the visit concluded with a reaffirmation of the government’s commitment to digital transformation. With the VSMS moving steadily toward Full Operational Capability, the leadership’s endorsement indicates continued support for the system’s implementation and operational expansion.

The positive outcome of this visit provides a strong setting: Vanuatu is advancing in digital tax compliance, aligning practical technology deployment with governmental oversight, and setting the stage for a fully operational, transparent, and accountable system that benefits both the state and its businesses.

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Taxes that should fund public services vanish in cash economies where transactions go unrecorded. Goods and services pass across borders and into markets without ever entering official registers. Outdated reporting systems bury tax officials under stacks of paper that fade faster than the memories of those who issued them. For a continent that will soon hold a quarter of the world’s population, such inefficiencies are barriers to growth, equity, and political stability. 

This is the context in which the discussion around revenue assurance has shifted. No longer an administrative exercise, it has become a decisive factor in whether governments can deliver for their people. And at DGA2025, the annual gathering where digital governance takes center stage, one theme will be resonating DTI’s approach: Africa needs the next-generation tax monitoring and reporting solution. 

DTI at DGA2025: The Tax Gap That Refuses to Shrink 

Unfortunately, the continent’s fiscal hole is visible and expanding. According to African Union estimates, countries collectively lose tens of billions of dollars every year through tax evasion, avoidance, and underreporting. Domestic resource mobilization, the polite term for improving tax collection, has been a staple of policy reports for over a decade. Yet, progress remains slow. 

Part of the problem lies in the absence system or having a non-functional system. In many African countries, businesses still handwrite receipts, store them in filing cabinets, and present them to auditors months later, if at all.  Tax authorities have no ability to verify what is accurate and what has been altered. In the meantime, governments run deficits, and citizens lose confidence that taxes are collected fairly. 

This vicious cycle affects budgets, yes. Moreover, it shapes politics as well. When citizens suspect that the tax net is full of holes, they question why they should comply. When businesses know competitors can underreport with little risk of detection, they feel disadvantaged. And when governments lack reliable revenue, they turn to external borrowing, often at steep interest rates, locking future generations into repayment cycles that stifle development. DTI will focus on finding answers to these questions as well, during the participation at DGA2025.

Why Technology Matters Now? 

The call for “next-generation” digital tax monitoring and reporting solution is quite pragmatic. Traditional audit-based tax systems were built for economies where transactions happened on paper, within easily tracked supply chains, and in relatively small numbers. Africa’s economies today are different. 

From the sprawling informal markets to the fast-growing digital payments sectors, millions of transactions happen every second. Capturing them with old methods is impossible. Now more than ever, what is needed is not more auditors with clipboards but systems that can record data in real time, analyze it instantly, and flag inconsistencies before they turn into losses. 

Countries in the Pacific, where DTI is heavily engaged, like Fiji and Samoa have shown what happens when governments shift to real-time monitoring of sales and value-added taxes. Compliance rates rise. Honest businesses welcome a fairer playing field. And tax authorities finally have the clarity they need to plan national budgets with confidence. African governments should examine these examples closely, as they won’t seem as distant experiments but as models that are highly adaptable to their own realities. 

DTI at DGA2025: View from the Ground 

For years now, DTI has worked hard to build TaxCore®, a COTS solution that fits the technical capacity and economic conditions of each country we work in. In practice, that means that our solution is capably to thrive in various tech environments, record every transaction at the point of sale, issue secure digital receipts and feeds the data instantly into tax authority databases. It is a system that removes the uncertainty of manual reporting and builds a continuous chain of evidence from seller to state. 

From DTI’s perspective, the value of such a system goes beyond technology. TaxCore® brings fairness into the fiscal relationship. Taxpayers see that compliance is not discretionary, but they also gain relief from arbitrary audits and burdensome paperwork. Governments receive clarity not through guesswork but through data they can trust. 

“Revenue assurance is not about raising taxes,” as Goran Todorov, CEO at DTI explained in a recent discussion. “It is about collecting the right taxes, consistently and transparently. When the system is fair, trust follows.” This emphasis on fairness should resonate across African capitals too. From Kigali to Lusaka, finance ministries understand that their citizens will support reforms only if they believe the rules apply equally to everyone. And this is exactly why digital tax monitoring becomes an excellent administrative tool. A tool that goes far beyond what is technically intended for, as it can serve as a pragmatical instrument for building legitimacy. 

The Informal Sector: Africa’s Persistent Puzzle 

Still, the road ahead is not simple. Africa’s vast informal economies, ranging from open-air markets to small family enterprises, pose a challenge we saw in other regions of the world. By some estimates, more than 80 percent of employment in sub-Saharan Africa exists outside the formal system. Asking these businesses to suddenly comply with digital reporting may seem unrealistic. 

Yet, this is precisely where next-generation revenue assurance can make a difference. Instead of expecting informal vendors to fill out paperwork, governments can offer them simplified digital tools linked directly to tax authority platforms. Mobile receipts, QR codes, and offline-enabled applications can capture data without disrupting daily trade. 

Countries that have experimented with such approaches report early signs of progress. Vendors who once resisted taxation begin to accept it when compliance becomes simple, when systems are accessible in local languages, and when the benefits, such as access to credit or eligibility for government programs, are visible. 

DTI at DGA2025: A Continent-Wide Moment of Choice 

What makes the discussion urgent now is not only the scale of the losses but also the timing. Africa is entering a demographic surge that will shape the global economy for the rest of the century. By 2050, the continent’s population will double, with millions more needing schools, jobs, and infrastructure. Governments cannot meet this demand if they continue losing revenue to inefficiency and underreporting. 

International donors have long filled some of the gaps, but dependence on aid is increasingly seen as politically and economically unsustainable. Domestic revenue is the only durable source of funding for development. That is why finance ministers from across the African continent are pressing harder than ever for practical solutions. 

At DGA2025, where digital governance leaders from around the world will gather, revenue assurance is not expected to dominate conversations, but DTI will raise this important topic across the board. It is obvious that African officials know that the continent cannot afford another decade of delay. They also know that adopting next-generation systems requires political will, technical training, and above all, trust between governments and citizens. 

The Stakes for Global Confidence 

We must be frank. Africa’s fiscal debate is not confined within its borders. International lenders, investors, and rating agencies watch closely. When governments demonstrate they can collect taxes efficiently, their creditworthiness improves and interest rates on loans decline. Thus, foreign direct investment becomes more attractive. Revenue assurance we talked earlier, in this sense, is not only about balancing national budgets but also about strengthening Africa’s place in the global financial system. 

The opposite is equally true. Countries that fail to modernize remain trapped in cycles of debt and dependency, forced to pay higher premiums for capital while struggling to maintain basic services.  

Toward a Fair Fiscal Future 

DTI’s message at DGA2025 will echo this reality: practical digital tax monitoring is essential. It is the foundation of fair and transparent fiscal governance. With the right tools, Africa can reduce its dependence on external financing, restore confidence in its institutions, and give citizens tangible proof that taxes collected are taxes put to work. 

As Sam Koim, the Commissioner General of Papua New Guinea’s Internal Revenue Commission, recently said in a related discussion about his own country’s reforms: “The idea is not for taxpayers to pay more, but to pay right.” And, Africa’s challenge is no different. The continent does not need higher taxes; it needs taxes collected fairly, consistently, and transparently. That is the promise of next-generation revenue assurance and the reason it cannot wait. 

The post Africa’s Fiscal Crossroads: DTI at DGA2025 appeared first on Dti.

The company views its presence as a chance to showcase its solutions, share insights on real-time transaction monitoring, and support the ongoing efforts of regional authorities to improve transparency, efficiency, and trust in taxation. 

A Panel of Distinct Perspectives 

From our perspective, one of the most closely followed sessions focused on the modernization of goods and services tax (GST) and value-added tax (VAT) compliance through real-time transaction monitoring. The panel, moderated by Goran Todorov, Chief Executive Officer of Data Tech International (DTI), drew significant attention from delegates who see tax modernization as a cornerstone of economic stability in the region. 

The contributions of four senior Pacific tax administrators, from countries that have already implemented DTI’s TaxCore® or are currently in the process of doing so, captured the close attention of the other delegates throughout the discussion. Tax system digitization emerged as a central element in strengthening budget stability, with the depth of the discussion highlighting both the technical and strategic dimensions of digital tax administration. The exchange underlines how real-time VAT monitoring systems enhance transaction visibility, close compliance gaps, and support informed policy decisions across the Pacific. 

Ms. Kelerayani Dawai, Compliance Director at the Fiji Revenue & Customs Service (FRCS), reflected on Fiji’s early adoption of digital tax systems, highlighting lessons from implementation. Mrs. Fonoti Taefu, Chief Executive Officer of Samoa’s Ministry of Customs and Revenue (MRC), spoke candidly about the determination needed to keep tax reform on track during the pandemic. Mr. Sam Loi, Commissioner for Taxation at Papua New Guinea’s Internal Revenue Commission (IRC), detailed his country’s ambitious national rollout of real-time monitoring, while Mr. George Brechtefeld, Acting Manager for Design and Monitoring at Vanuatu’s Department of Customs & Inland Revenue (CIR), explained how a targeted solution will close long-standing compliance gaps. 

Each intervention highlighted the diversity of national experiences while underscoring a shared understanding that traditional reporting models no longer meet the needs of governments responsible for financing development in an uncertain global environment. 

PITAA 2025 Meeting: Data Tech International’s Role 

For DTI, the discussion in Tonga emphasized the growing demand for systems that bring clarity and trust to tax collection. The company’s flagship solution, TaxCore®, has already been deployed in multiple jurisdictions worldwide, and its presence in the Pacific is steadily expanding. 

Speaking after the panel, Mr. Todorov remarked that Pacific tax administrations are at a decisive moment. “The momentum for real-time monitoring is now undeniable,” he said. “Authorities are no longer asking if they should move in this direction, but rather how quickly and effectively they can do it.” 

DTI views the Pacific as a region facing distinctive challenges, including dispersed populations, limited connectivity, and substantial informal economies, yet also as a region where TaxCore® is already delivering measurable benefits. Through the creation of systems that allow tax authorities to record and validate transactions as they happen, governments can close revenue gaps, reduce compliance costs, and strengthen public confidence in the fairness of taxation. 

Why Real-Time Monitoring Matters? 

No one can argue, the move towards real-time transaction monitoring is a technical upgrade. Also, it represents a shift in how tax administrations approach compliance. Traditional models, built on delayed reporting and post-facto audits, often leave revenue authorities one step behind taxpayers. By contrast, real-time reporting provides immediate visibility, making it far harder for tax evasion to go undetected. 

For Pacific economies, many of which depend heavily on consumption taxes, this shift is especially relevant. Governments need predictable revenue streams to finance infrastructure, health care, education, and climate adaptation. When tax systems underperform, the burden often falls disproportionately on external aid or borrowing. Real-time tax monitoring helps reduce that vulnerability by creating stronger domestic revenue bases. 

The Broader Context of PITAA 2025 

PITAA has long served as a forum for member jurisdictions to exchange expertise and coordinate their efforts. This year’s theme, “Pacific Synergy: Weaving a Sustainable Future through Innovative Laws, Efficiency and Strategic Revenue Mobilization,” reflected the urgency of finding collective solutions. 

Tonga’s hosting of the event carried symbolic weight. The country has weathered both the COVID-19 pandemic and the devastating Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha‘apai eruption, experiences that underlined the fragility of small island economies. In Nuku‘alofa, participants repeatedly circled back to the idea that the region needs cooperation paired with modern tools.

From DTI’s vantage point, the Pacific is showing that practical innovation does not require massive budgets or decades of planning. Instead, well-designed digital systems drive progress by adapting to national circumstances while still adhering to international standards.

PITAA 2025 Meeting: TaxCore® Significance 

TaxCore® is central to this vision. By giving tax authorities, the ability to monitor receipts in real time, the platform reduces opportunities for under-reporting, provides taxpayers with greater certainty, and generates reliable data for policy planning. As Mr. Todorov stressed, “Technology must serve both the administration and the taxpayer. Transparency is not a one-way street; it works only when all stakeholders see value in the process.” 

DTI also recognizes that technology alone is not sufficient. Legal reform, institutional training, and communication with the business community are equally critical. The company, therefore, positions itself not only as a supplier of software but as a partner working alongside governments to meet long-term revenue objectives. 

In conclusion, Pacific tax administrators in Nuku‘alofa this week demonstrated their determination not to remain on the sidelines of global tax modernization. On the contrary, they are actively advancing, country by country, with solutions tailored to their specific circumstances. DTI’s TaxCore® is well-positioned to continue supporting this ongoing journey. 

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