It is at a real explanation that the Director General of Taxes (DGI) Ouattara Abou Sié gave this January 16 in front of the Ivorian press to defend point by point an 2018 tax schedule that provokes controversy in the media. ‘business.
“Côte d’Ivoire must stop being the bad student of UEMOA”, hammered the head of the Ivorian tax office. The West African organization has indeed issued since 1998 a set of directives to which the States of the region are subject in the framework of the subregional integration. And having, during 20 years, dragged behind and lagged behind its neighbors, Abidjan is determined to get in order; it is true in a context of low cocoa prices.
This is the case, for example, of the excise duties on beverages between 12 and 45%, whereas the Community standard provides for a range from 15 to 50%. And the same is true for 10% excise duty on “beauty and cosmetic products (including perfume), marble and passenger vehicles whose power is greater than or equal to 13 horses “.
Another important point of contention is the abolition of certain VAT exemptions contrary to the WAEMU directives. The fact is that the exemptions penalize certain links in the chain that could not charge VAT to customers who were exempt. The new provision therefore avoids penalizing those who lost competitiveness points in such a situation, explains Director of Taxes.
Another example: the excise duty on tobacco passes from 35% to 38% to “comply with the WHO convention on the fight against smoking which requires the signatory countries to align their taxation with respect to taxation of tobacco “.
“It is good to know that these reforms are part of the international commitments” of the country, “justified Abu Ouattara.
With regard to the elimination of the “simplified tax system” which reduces the number of tax regimes to two (synthetic and normal real plans), it was a question of removing from the text an “unsatisfactory” regime, which would not interfere with enough resources. In addition, the measure is in line with the evolution of accounting standards at the OHADA level built around the two remaining schemes. A deletion that “has no impact on the tax obligations of taxpayers” supported Abu Ouattara.
In addition, the Director General of Taxes noted that the tax schedule is the result of consultations with the private sector.
“The tax schedule is not engraved in marble”
“The tax schedule is not engraved in stone and may be subject to changes,” said the head of Ivorian tax. An invitation to the Ivorian private sector to a new round of exchanges that echoes a call from President Alassane Ouattara. The day before, the Ivorian president had asked his prime minister to “deepen” discussions on the text with the private sector “in order to make proposals to the government that reflect our desire to accelerate the development of our economy “.
However, there should be little room for maneuver. According to the DGI, the new measures of the tax schedule will, theoretically, generate a gain of 75,4 billion FCFA. And Abidjan whose tax rate ratio (ratio to GDP) has increased 15,6% 2016 to 16% in 2017 would be delighted to move closer to the UEMOA community standard that oscillates between 17 and 20%.
