Somali Family Services conducted a two-day forum on taxation and revenue mobilization from the 19^th – 20^th June 2012 at Hotel Panorama in Bosaso Puntland. The forum which targeted 55 members from Government officials, traditional elders, media, women associations, youth, business community and religious groups, aimed to help participants understand and appreciate the importance of taxation and how it affects socio-economic development of Puntland, and to equip them with knowledge of tax and resource mobilization for further advocacy. The forum was funded Diakonia Sweden.

The Vice Minister for security, Abdirizaq Hared Ismail and Deputy Governor of Bosaso, Yusuf Mu’min presided over the forum. The Deputy Governor highlighted the importance of taxation to service delivery and development and the government cannot function without it. The Vice Minister stressed that everyone is entitled to pay taxes and acknowledged that business people are culprits in evading taxes while the poor bear the brunt. They both appreciated SFS for the forum and promised accountability and transparency from the Government. Mahmud Ali from Diakonia and Mohammed Hamud from Somali Family Services co-chaired the forum.

The participants were introduced to taxation and various roles of taxation on service delivery and nation building. They later discussed on government responsibility versus citizen obligation. The civil society members had an opportunity to interact with representatives from the local government and be infomed about taxation system and procedure, service delivery methods and revenue spending. The floor was the opened for participants to ask questions, criticism and recommendations to the government officials present. Inequality in the management and disbursement of public revenue was repeatedly cited as the prime source of hostility within and towards the administration.

Somali Family Services is a non-governmental organization dedicated to fostering a peaceful and democratic Somalia through support of civil society, women, youth, and other marginalized groups.

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