• All concerned
• Employers, workers, consumers
• Wide raking at the drink level
PWhile la grande muette was reorganizing its system with new military regions, new commanders, the new treasurer of the moment at the Ministry of Economy, Finance and Prospective is rolling out his strategy for financing the war: first, a project of the State budget for 2023, which said a lot about the resource mobilization effort expected by the financial authorities. We note one of the expected revenues at 2,631.3 billion FCFA, an increase of more than nearly 12% compared to those of 2022. The expenditure forecasts, for their part, are estimated at 3,235.9 billion FCFA. This budget is characterized by a gap to be filled of 604 billion FCFA.
Thus, at the level of the DGI, one of the tax innovations consisted in better taxing beverages, in order to improve State revenue (ND: See box).
But the efforts of the authorities alone could not cover the financing needs of the war. This is how the Patriotic Support Fund (FSP) was born. The success of this financial mobilization will be an indicator of the Burkinabè’s commitment to getting out of this war. It takes money and above all a lot of billions FCFA for the State to continue to function and for the massively recruited FDS and VDPs to lack nothing in terms of equipment, logistics and salaries.
Voluntary contributions are not lacking and the regular update made by the steering committee indicates a certain enthusiasm, even if the amounts are not yet astronomical. The spirit of this fund: these are voluntary contributions and the State is responsible for setting up a transparent mechanism to collect it.
At this level, something remarkable happened. Religious denominations of all tendencies have asked for the generosity of their followers. Detainees from the Ouagadougou Remand and Correctional Center (MACO), from the depths of their cells, wanted to participate in this collective effort. Businesses and ordinary citizens too. On the employee side, a system has been put in place to collect the contribution of 1% of their salary, still on a voluntary basis.
But here we are, last week, pursuant to Order No. 2023-025 / MEF / SG setting the rates, amounts and methods of collecting the contribution of citizens to the Patriotic Support Fund, through the consumption of cigarettes , cigars, cigarillos, beverages, perfumery or toiletry products and cosmetic products. This decree, signed on January 25, 2023, was immediately taken over by the main local beverage producers and distributors who announced a supplement of 100 FCFA per bottle of beer and 50 FCFA on bottles of candy (Editor’s note: see details framed). It is a very interesting niche in terms of resources to collect, if we stick to the fact that the Burkinabè are big consumers.
Drinking beer or another type of drink paradoxically therefore becomes a patriotic contribution. Is it not in contradiction with the motivations of the new tax measures on beverages and tobacco? In short, all means are currently good to bail out the state coffers. However, for greater clarity, it will be necessary to explain to the collectors of this contribution whether it is a continuation of the finance law or a different measure.
During his grand oral, on February 3, 2023, the President of the Transition, in a calm tone, declared that the war had not yet started. This statement has fueled many debates in the cottages. The toughest even argued that if we weren’t at war, we would need a redefinition of war. It was to forget that we were dealing with the word of a warlord, who knows the terrain and who, since taking power, has been reorganizing the National Army, in order to provide an appropriate response. to the enemy. Obviously, the country has been at war since at least 2016. And in this war, there are phases. The time for major maneuvers seems to have come to finance the war. And we are not yet at the end of the solicitations. However, for the taxpayer and the consumer, it has well and truly begun.
FW
Framed
Beverages: forecasts of the 2023 finance law
«In this new regulation, we note the increase in the rate of tax on beverages. In order to fight against the proliferation of certain highly alcoholic and/or energy drinks, which are harmful to the health of populations, a substantial taxation of these drinks could discourage excessive consumption and constitute a lever for the mobilization of tax revenues”, justifies the DGI. .
The change made therefore consists in raising the tax rates from 1is January 2023 as follows:
– Beers containing less than 8% alcohol: 30%
– Beers containing more than 8% alcohol: 40%
– Wines: 70%
– Other alcoholic beverages containing less than 35% alcohol: 50%
– Other alcoholic beverages containing 35° alcohol or more: 70%
– Non-alcoholic energy drinks: 50%
– Sweets and other non-alcoholic beverages: 15%”o
Source : Lefaso.net