Personal Income Tax: Centre External Regional Tax Office trains stakeholders on declaration.

The exercise took place at the Yaounde Conference Centre.

The Governor of the Centre Region, Paul Nasseri Bea, opened the seminar. The Regional Center Manager, Mbamfon Fosso Armelle, chief organiser took the stage to lecture stakeholders on online declaration of taxes.

This, she said, is as enunciated by the Ministry of Finance, and approved by Parliament in the 2024 Finance Law.

Citing Communique number 0000278/MINFI/DGI/LRIL of 97 March 2024, she said the Reginal Tax Centre for the Centre Region decided to intensify training programmes in line with the drive of the Directorate General of Taxation, DGI, to up internally generated revenue in the face of dwindling oil revenues.

She harped that under the provisions of Article 74 b of the General Tax Code, non-professional tax payers are now required to file an annual return of their salaried or passive income in the same way as tax payers carrying on a commercial activity.

The incomes concerned, she said are; those of employees, pensioners, shareholders, industrialists, administrators of State assets, craftsmen, shopkeepers, farmers, holders of crypto-currencies, beneficiaries of investment income, copyright, artists, sportsmen and women, and various categories of services providers.

Mbamfon Fosso said if stakeholders   are armed with adequate knowledge, they will be able to master the online declaration and payment process. This, she said, will enable the tax administration to increase revenue.

Down to specifics

The Centre targets getting at least 60% of individuals resident and carrying out lucrative activities in the Center Region to declare their incomes by 30 June this year.

The Head of the Center 1 Regional Tax Centre, Mvogo Emeline Epse Bihina, in a presentation dwelled on the modalities for implementation of the annual declaration of income of non-professional taxpayers necessitates.

The Head of the Center 2 Regional Tax Office, Daniel Hyppolite Bickoe, lectured on persons concerned with the annual personal income tax return. 

The Head of the Center External Regional Tax Office, delivered her lecture on how declarants are to file their annual personal income tax returns online at www.impots.cm

Taxpayers, including non-diplomatic staff of diplomatic missions and international organisations, she said, must pay their Personal Income Tax of 2023 latest June 30, 2024.

A support mechanism, consisting of a HELPDESK platform accessible via the website of the Directorate General of Taxation, she said, has been put in place. 

In addition to this, she said there is toll-free number 8200 to assist taxpayers in fulfilling their tax obligations. 

Revenue targets

Governor Paul Nasseri Bea disclosed that the Centre Region External Tax Office is expected to generate over 400 billion FCFA this year. 

The target, he said, exceeds that of 2023 by 100 billion FCFA. The Governor said trainings are a necessity if taxpayers must remain up to date with what is expected of them.