Africa-Press – Senegal. Senegal recorded tax pressure rates close to the community threshold of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) from 2015 to 2022, we learned on Tuesday from Bassirou Sarr, technical adviser to the Senegalese Minister of Finance and Budget.
« Despite the upward revision of the GDP », the gross domestic product, « Senegal has recorded since 2015 tax pressure rates close to the community threshold » of the UEMOA, said Mr. Sarr while intervening at the opening of a seminar devoted to sharing experiences in the mobilization of tax revenue between the financial authorities of the Member States of the Union.
The official from the Ministry of Finance and Budget was delighted with Senegal’s “good performance” regarding the tax pressure rate, the instrument for measuring the weight of taxes in a country’s economy.
« The overall objective of this seminar is to share experiences in the mobilization of tax revenue between the financial authorities of WAEMU member states (customs, taxes, Treasury), » said Bassirou Sarr, speaking during this meeting as representatives of the Minister of Finance and Budget, Mamadou Moustapha Ba.
The WAEMU Commission held this meeting, following the recommendations of the organization’s Council of Ministers, to « inquire about the Senegalese experience in the mobilization of resources », he said. .
Mr. Sarr urged participants to « identify good practices in the mobilization of major taxes and the management of staff of revenue authorities ».
« The mobilization of internal revenue is an ongoing challenge for our States, as evidenced so well by the constant pressure exerted on customs and tax forecasts, throughout the budget cycle, » underlined the technical adviser to the Minister Finance and Budget.
« Facilitate the implementation of the most efficient tax revenue collection tools »
Tax pressure is important insofar as « the optimal collection of tax revenues largely determines the success of public policies of States », he underlined. « It allows them to have a substantial budgetary space for the implementation of inclusive growth policies. »
Bassirou Sarr points out that « significant tax reforms are being implemented within WAEMU member states, in order to facilitate the establishment of the most efficient tax revenue collection tools ».
« The implementation of the said reforms, noted Mr. Sarr, has contributed to improving the level of tax collection in all the States of the Union. »
Bassirou Sarr believes that « efforts must be continued and strengthened » by the eight WAEMU member states, in order to bring tax revenue to at least 20% of GDP, as recommended by the latest convergence, growth pact and stability adopted by the Union.
Mahamadou Gado, the commissioner in charge of the department of economic policies and internal taxation at the West African Economic and Monetary Union, stresses, for his part, that « this meeting is of great importance for improving the mobilization of tax revenue for the harmonious development of the member states » of the organization.
« I have no doubt […] of the success of your work and of the quality of the relevant recommendations and immediately usable measures which will result from it », he told the representatives of the member countries of the community organization.
« The Community objective of a rate of tax pressure of at least 20% has not yet been achieved », because « the average rate of tax pressure in the Union is 13.8% in 2022 ‘, Mr. Gado explained.
He points out that « the optimal mobilization of tax revenues is also one of the best conditions for ensuring the sustainability of our public finances and macroeconomic stability in an increasingly uncertain environment ».
« The recommendations of this seminar will be brought to the attention of the next ordinary session of the Council of Ministers of the Union », assured Mamadou Gado.
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