By Inzwirashe C. Muwonwa

The Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes has invited Zimbabwe to sign the Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters (MAAC). This is a significant achievement for the country in its quest to expand its domestic revenue base through the exchange of information (EOI).

Zimbabwe joined the Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information in April 2023 and signed up to join the MAAC in March 2025. The Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) is the lead organization and has established an Exchange of Information Unit that became operational on January 1, 2024. The unit has gone through a rigorous process to join the MAAC, which included a questionnaire that scrutinizes the exchange of information in practice as well as the country’s legal framework to ensure the confidentiality of sensitive information and the protection of taxpayer data.

Currently, Zimbabwe has 19 agreements for the Elimination of Double Taxation with respect to Tax on Income and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion (DTAs) in force, which the EOI Unit uses to exchange information with other jurisdictions. This limits the unit, as several cross-border activities, such as transfer pricing and other forms of illicit financial flows, occur in countries with which Zimbabwe does not have bilateral agreements. Once ratified and in force, the MAAC will become a solution, allowing for the exchange of information with the 150 countries that have signed and ratified the instrument.

The MAAC provides for all possible forms of administrative cooperation between the parties in the assessment and collection of taxes, particularly aimed at combating tax avoidance and evasion. It was developed jointly by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the Council of Europe in 1988 and amended by Protocol in 2010. It is currently the most comprehensive multilateral instrument available for all forms of tax cooperation to tackle tax evasion and avoidance.