Douala: Taxation DG consults private sector on measures to shape 2027 Finance Bill.

Meyong Abath began his Douala tour at the Littoral Governor’s Office before meeting members of the Union of Cameroon Enterprises, GeCAM, and later engaging with business operators under the Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Crafts, CCIMA, at its headquarters.

The exercise is said to be part of the Directorate General of Taxation’s consultations with economic operators ahead of the preparation of the draft Finance Bill for 2027. 

While at CCIMA, the taxation boss said the consultation was important because the institution brings together operators from trade, industry, mining and handicrafts, ranging from large enterprises to workshops and small businesses across the country.

“This is what makes the Chamber a privileged interlocutor of the tax administration,” Meyong Abath said, stressing that the dialogue should enable both sides to identify difficulties and seek appropriate solutions.

He also praised CCIMA for its role in promoting tax awareness, supporting operators in meeting their declarative obligations and mediating between businesses and tax authorities.

Pledges stronger support

The Director General of Taxation made a firm commitment to strengthen collaboration with the Chamber, particularly through training.

He said the Directorate General of Taxation would make its experts available to train CCIMA members on taxation and new reforms, arguing that effective tax compliance depends largely on taxpayers understanding their obligations.

The taxation boss also acknowledged the difficult economic environment confronting businesses, citing disruptions in international trade, conflicts, tariff barriers, changing maritime routes, expensive credit and unpredictable energy and transport costs.

“These disruptions are not abstractions,” he noted, explaining that they affect companies through longer supply times, shrinking margins and reduced capacity to recruit.

According to Meyong Abath, the State itself is facing similar pressures, while having to mobilise resources to finance infrastructure, public services, security and development programmes.

He therefore called for a balance between the mobilisation of domestic revenue and the need to preserve the conditions that allow businesses to invest, produce and create jobs.

He noted that the challenges differ across sectors, with traders facing competitiveness and formalisation issues, industries dealing with production costs and access to inputs and financing, and the mining sector confronted with the transformation of national resources.

Handicrafts, he added, remain an important source of employment and income whose potential contribution to the formal economy is yet to be fully exploited.

CCIMA submits 24 proposals

Welcoming the taxation delegation, CCIMA President, Christophe Eken, described the consultation as an increasingly established tradition of public-private dialogue.

He recalled that the Chamber organised a preparatory meeting with economic operators and professional organisations on June 24, 2026, to collect the difficulties and proposals that would be submitted to the tax administration.

This process resulted in 24 proposals for consideration in the preparation of the 2027 Finance Bill. Eken said taxation remains one of the major concerns of Cameroon’s private sector. According to surveys cited by the CCIMA president, 82 percent of companies consider tax-related issues an important constraint to their activities.

He stressed, however, that the private sector does not oppose taxation, noting that the State needs revenue to perform its functions, while companies require a business environment that allows them to grow.

“Our common objective must be to make taxes an instrument of development and not a factor of discouragement to private initiatives,” he said.

Among the concerns raised by businesses are the complexity of certain tax declaration procedures, interpretation of some provisions, tax controls, the handling of claims and accounting matters, as well as delays in the reimbursement of VAT credits.

Eken also welcomed the DGI’s ongoing digitalisation and dematerialisation reforms, but insisted that digitalisation should ultimately translate into simpler, more flexible and more transparent procedures.

Past proposals yielding results

The CCIMA president used the occasion to highlight what he described as tangible results from previous consultations. In 2023, the Chamber submitted 15 proposals for the 2024 Finance Bill, eight of which were retained. In 2024, 18 proposals were submitted, with seven retained in the 2025 Finance Law.

Meanwhile, for the 2026 Finance Law, the Chamber submitted 22 proposals. According to its assessment, six were substantially taken into account while another five were partially considered, bringing the total favourable outcome to 11.

Eken said the figures demonstrate that dialogue between the private sector and the tax administration can produce concrete results when proposals are based on the realities faced by companies.

GeCAM seeks predictable tax environment

At GeCAM, employers’ representatives similarly welcomed the consultation. GeCAM President, Célestin Tawamba, said the discussions had enabled both sides to reach a better understanding of the difficulties confronting companies and the measures being considered by the administration.

He said GeCAM was satisfied with the reform process underway within the tax administration and expressed hope that a number of its proposals would find their way into the 2027 Finance Bill.

“We discussed and agreed about our problems. Now we are discussing our proposals for the next Finance Law,” Tawamba said. 

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3891 of Thursday August 27, 2026