Despite a high rate of adoption of the digital platform for filing personal income tax (IRPP), tax revenue remains below forecasts. Finance Minister Louis Paul Motaze presented a mixed initial assessment to the National Assembly, calling for continued optimization efforts.
Finance Minister Louis Paul Motaze revealed on April 4 that the tax administration had collected 15 billion CFA francs from online income tax returns for 2024. This amount, while significant, remains well below the initial forecasts of the Directorate General of Taxes, which had hoped to collect 25 billion CFA francs. The collection rate therefore stands at 60%, representing a difference of 10 billion CFA francs.
According to the minister, more than 425,000 monthly declarations are recorded on the dedicated digital platform. In total, nearly two million non-professional taxpayers have already filed their declarations. These figures reflect growing interest in this reform introduced by the 2021 Finance Act, which requires individuals receiving salaries, pensions, annuities, or passive income to declare their income annually before June 30.
Despite this enthusiasm, the platform has not always lived up to its performance promises. MP John Evaristus challenged the minister on the numerous service interruptions. Motaze acknowledged the technical weaknesses, particularly during the launch, stating that “stopgap solutions” had been implemented to address the massive influx of users. He dismissed the hypothesis of sabotage, citing instead the technical limitations of a system still in its infancy.
Faced with this observation, the minister remains optimistic: “We can always improve,” he declared before the national assembly. Pending improved performance from the platform, declaration deadlines have already been extended twice to allow taxpayers to comply. With these adjustments, the government hopes to close the gap between forecasts and actual collections, while strengthening tax literacy among the population.
