The colonial aftermath in digitalizing tax

Abstract

The impact of colonialism is often discussed from a historical perspective. The influence of colonialism however remains evident in the current global developmental discourses, particularly in the use of technology for development because technology since colonialism has always been viewed as an important catalyst for development. In this paper, I analyze how a tax digitalization project is part of the colonial imperial formations arguing that the current project, tax for development, conforms to colonial rationale and imperatives as it employs notions of western modernity and transformation. In essence, the argument is that the very grounds used to justify colonialism is re-worked - though implicitly- to make digital technologies a cornerstone of development process especially with regards to revenue mobilization.