Between 2019 and 2024, the Senegalese State has granted 4 030 billion FCFA of tax exemptions to companies, some of which are economically sound and fully able to pay their taxes. These allowances, although provided for by the Code des investissements to encourage investment and support firms in difficulty, have mainly benefited the most powerful players on the market, raising questions about the fairness and transparency of the tax system. L’économiste Aliou Ndiouck, invited on the Sénégal7 channel, denounced this situation, estimating that some beneficiary companies could have paid two or three times the amount exempted. It questions the significant increase in exemptions during this period and points to a flagrant lack of control in their allocation. These sums, which should have been recovered by the Fiscal and Customs Administration, remain in suspense, without concrete action by the State to recover them. Why has the Fiscal and Customs Administration not acted? “We have to make sure that we do not get into a situation in which we have to go through the process of negotiating a new agreement with the government”, said Mr Ndiouck, suggesting either an administrative laxity or hidden arrangements between certain companies and state agents. In view of these irregularities, l’économiste urges the Office national de lutte contre la fraude et la corruption (OFNAC) to open an inquiry to identify the beneficiaries of the exemptions and the companies liable to the State.
Tax exemptions: 4 030 billion enveloped, to the benefit of whom?
