Youth For Tax Justice Network

23/09/2026

Tax policy unfolds over a long timeline. The rules one generation writes set the terms of public revenue for decades, and they rarely reopen once they harden into practice.

In the foreword to YTJN's new publication, "Centering African Youth in Global Tax Governance," Dr. Lyla Latif, PhD, Managing Partner at Lai'Latif & Co Advocates and Co-founder of the Committee on Fiscal Studies (CFS), makes the case for why youth engagement with the UN Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation matters now.

Read: https://bit.ly/4ApIMBA

Her argument is that when the architecture of international tax was first built, Africa was under colonial rule and had no seat at the table. We contributed nothing to the rules that came to bind us and have lived under their consequences since.

She calls this a decolonial reading of taxation. African states carry a sovereign right to the revenue owed on profits earned within their own borders. And language in the Convention text is not a small detail. A provision that says a state shall act creates a binding obligation. A provision that only invites a state to explore acting creates none.

Dr. Latif points to a Liberian proverb: when your house don't sell you, the street will not buy you. Our position is held first at home. If African states keep their fiscal houses in order and hold their negotiating front together, no outside power can purchase what has been declined for sale.

The young people doing this work today are the generation who will hold these seats tomorrow, as robotics, AI agents, and new forms of value creation raise tax questions the current rules were never built to answer.

21/09/2026

Written by Jon Kafuko and Lurit Yugusuk, YTJN proudly presents "Centering African Youth in Global Tax Governance," our latest publication on youth engagement in the UN Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation (UNFCITC).

Globally, drains 492 billion dollars annually. That money could hire 15 million teachers. It could close Africa's education financing gap. It could fund the green jobs and digital infrastructure young Africans need.

For decades, a small club of wealthy nations wrote global tax rules through the . Africa was not in the room. Now, through the UN negotiations, a more inclusive process is underway, and YTJN has earned special accreditation to help shape it.

At its core, the paper argues that global tax governance is not a narrow technical issue but a structural determinant of inequality, fiscal , and intergenerational justice. The rules that govern how multinational are taxed, how profits are allocated across borders, and how tax disputes are resolved directly shape the resources available to African governments. For a continent that is home to the world’s youngest population, these rules will determine whether ’s demographic dividend becomes a transformative force or a missed opportunity.



Read More: https://bit.ly/4ApIMBA

17/09/2026

🗣️1⃣ Eradicating first ensures future tax revenues fund public services, free from foreign obligations.

🗣️2⃣ Economic must precede domestic investment to prevent foreign economic control.

We really enjoyed the material from the student debates at

Motion: This House Would Prioritize debt repayment over development.

More:

During the 2026 edition of the Uganda Schools Debate and Speech Cha...

15/09/2026

On this , we recognize that every budget is a vote on whom a country serves. Every line item decides whose priorities count. When young people get a seat at that table, democracy stops being a ballot cast once every few years. It becomes a daily practice of holding power accountable.

Across Africa, young people are redefining by demanding , , and oversight of public between elections.

🇺🇬 YTJN joined other stakeholders under the Tax Justice Alliance Uganda to define what Uganda's tax system should look like if we are to raise more domestic revenue and make the burden fairer. The retreat, convened by SEATINI UGANDA, produced TJAU's Alternative Tax Proposals for FY2027/28, now headed to MoFPED and Parliament.

🇰🇪 Students at Mount Kenya University - MKU and Zetech University are shaping the Kenya Youth Manifesto 2027 through campus consultations with the Manifesto Yetu Coalition.

🇧🇼 With Botswana Watch, sustained youth advocacy is turning budget participation into real oversight.

A budget line is a decision about whose future gets funded. Young people are showing up to that decision.

11/09/2026

🌟FRIDAY FAVORITE! 🗞️

The release of the Co-Lead's Zero Draft of the UN Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation on 21 July 2026 marked a defining moment in the decades-long struggle for a fair and equitable international tax system.

For the first time, a UN treaty stands on the verge of becoming reality, one that could transform how countries tax multinational corporations, curb illicit financial flows, and mobilize domestic resources for sustainable development.

Read More: https://bit.ly/4h0DjKj

08/09/2026

At the 2026 Uganda Schools Debate and Speech Championship , young debaters tackled a motion that cuts to the core of the country's fiscal priorities: "This House Would Prioritize Debt Repayment Over Youth Development."

The numbers behind the debate:

1️⃣ Parliament approved a Shs84.39 trillion budget for FY2026/2027.

2️⃣ Debt servicing takes Shs33.4 trillion, close to 40% of total spending.

3️⃣ Interest payments alone reach Shs12.4 trillion.

4️⃣ Total public stood at approximately Shs130.22 trillion by January 2026.

Compare that to youth investment:

➡️ Wealth creation programmes like the Parish Development Model, Emyooga, and livelihood initiatives get Shs2.5 trillion.

➡️ Human capital development receives Shs13.5 trillion.

➡️ Infrastructure gets Shs10.8 trillion.

➡️ Security gets Shs10.2 trillion.

Youth sits at 17.9% for young people aged 15 to 24, with young women facing even higher rates.

The government's position: obligations protect investor confidence, macroeconomic stability, and access to future financing.

🗣️ The critics' position: heavy debt repayment crowds out education, employment, entrepreneurship, and innovation, the areas young Ugandans need most.

Forums like by the Debate Society Uganda matter because of exchanges like this one. Young people are not spectators in fiscal policy. They read budget speeches, track debt figures, and form positions on trade-offs that shape their own futures.

The full session:

During the 2026 edition of the Uganda Schools Debate and Speech Cha...

07/09/2026

Wawakilishi kutoka nchi 193 wanajadili jinsi serikali za Afrika zitakavyofadhili , na katika miongo ijayo.

Mara chache sana vijana hupata fursa ya kushiriki katika majadiliano hayo. Hata hivyo, programu za , za elimu na uundaji wa ajira vyote hutegemea maamuzi yanayofikiwa katika vikao hivi.

Muda wa kuwasilisha maoni ya maandishi kuhusu rasimu za sasa ulimalizika mwishoni mwa mwezi Agosti, kabla ya kikao cha sita cha majadiliano kitakachofanyika Nairobi baadaye mwaka huu.

Taarifa za hivi punde: https://bit.ly/4g9rUXP

Fuatilia mwenendo wa mambo. Uliza maswali. Shinikiza serikali yako kuchukua msimamo thabiti katika majadiliano haya.

Mfumo wa unaowajali wananchi badala ya kulenga faida pekee hautajijenga wenyewe.

03/09/2026

At the 3rd Annual Africa Climate Finance Conference, YTJN Team Lead Allan Murangira Muhereza joined a panel on Youth-Led Climate Innovation & Enterprise Development under the theme: "Moving Youth-Led Solutions from Ideas and Pilots to Investable Enterprises."

Allan emphasized that for young climate enterprises to formalize and scale, Uganda needs a tax system that is simple, predictable, and supportive of startups. High compliance costs, limited tax knowledge, registration expenses, and cash flow challenges continue to hinder many youth-led businesses.

He also highlighted the importance of fair tax administration, transparency, and equitable enforcement in creating a level playing field where emerging climate enterprises can compete, attract investment, and drive sustainable development.

The conference culminated in the launch of the Uganda Climate Innovation Challenge (UCIC) 2026, creating new opportunities for young innovators and entrepreneurs to showcase solutions to Uganda's climate challenges.

01/09/2026

This Wednesday, YTJN Team Lead Allan Murangira Muhereza joins the panel at the Climate Finance Conference side event, hosted by Green Africa Youth Organization Uganda.

Theme: Moving Youth-Led Solutions from Ideas and Pilots to Investable Enterprises

📅: September 2, 2026
⏰: 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm EAT
🏠: Kampala Marriott Hotel

Uganda's young innovators are building real solutions in renewable energy, waste management, and -smart agriculture. Most stay stuck at the pilot stage. The gap is not ideas, but finance.

And it all ties back to . Domestic resource mobilization determines whether governments can fund the incubation, blended finance, and market support young entrepreneurs need. Fair systems and public spending build the foundation for a pipeline that reaches youth-led enterprises, not just large corporations.

27/08/2026

Earlier today, YTJN joined other members of the Youth Working Group on Climate Change and Biodiversity for the National Youth and Children's Climate Statement (NYCS) Hackathon & Validation Meeting.

This meeting builds directly on the Local Conference of Youth and Children on Climate Change Uganda 2026 held earlier (5–7 August).

The exercise gave us a chance to conduct a structured technical validation of the Draft National Youth and Children's Climate Statement (NYCS) from LCOY 2026 ahead of submission to the Ministry of Water and Environment, the Parliamentary Forum on Climate Change, Uganda's COP31 delegation, and YOUNGO for the Global Youth Statement.