The new Cameroonian state budget for 2023 was voted on December 6 by deputies and senators after two weeks of debates in Parliament. The opposition, a minority in the National Assembly, has not succeeded in bending the government despite points of tension and concerns about announced tax increases.
With our correspondent in Yaoundé, Polycarp Essomba
As expected, and due in particular to the large majority of the CPDM in the National Assembly (152 out of 180), the draft budget for 2023 was voted without incident. This vote took place despite the length of the debates, which lasted nearly 10 hours, between Sunday and Monday morning, and despite some moments of tension in the discussions between members of the government and certain opposition deputies. .
Planned tax hike
The new finance law was thus adopted at 6,345.1 billion CFA francs. It is up by 267.7 billion compared to the 2022 financial year. How to finance it? The government is counting on traditional revenue from petroleum products, but also on customs and taxes. On taxes, substantial increases are announced for businesses, but also for small taxpayers. The cost of certain public service provisions is expected to increase. The price of the tax stamp will thus increase from 1,000 to 1,500 CFA francs.
The opposition protests against these increases. Cabral Libii of the PCRN evokes a “ indiscriminate increase between rich and poor households “. The CRM denounced in a press release signed by its secretary general “ a policy of increased impoverishment of the people ” by tax hikes deemed “ inconsiderate “. For the power, Cameroon remains despite everything a very under-taxed country.
►Also read: In Cameroon, in 2021, corruption caused the State to lose 44 billion FCFA