Gabon

Further to the promulgation of the Finance Act for 2023, the following new tax measures have notably been introduced :

• Extension of the list of goods and operations exempted from VAT ;
• Reduction of the VAT rate applicable to some goods and operations ;
• Exemption, from the excise duties, of the mobile telecommunication activities which were previously taxed at the rate of 5% ;
• Introduction of a rebate of 60% of the freight taxable basis applicable to products of first necessity on import ;
• Amendment of the provisions related to the royalty fee applicable to airlines passengers ;
• Amendment of the provisions related to the taxation on the traffic of electronic money transactions.

The amended Financial Act for 2022 has introduced some new tax measures which are mainly the following :

• Institution of a provision related to the inopposability, to the Tax Administration, of the stability clause contained into the agreements concluded with the State, with regard to indirect taxes for which the taxpayer is only the collector ;
• Institution of a period of revision of clauses of tax stability (such clauses must be revised every  five years) ;
• Taxation of the portion of the housing allowance exceeding 40% of the monthly gross salary or  XAF 250,000 ;
• Institution of an obligation, for the beneficiaries of services consisting in the provisions of foreign staff, to proceed with the withholding of the Personal Income Tax (PIT) on the remunerations paid to the said staff when they reside more than six (6) months in Gabon ;
•  Reduction of the list of goods and operations exempted of VAT ;
• Taxation to VAT at the rate of 5% of goods of first necessity previously exempted from VAT ;
• Increase from 10% to 20% of the rate of the Single Land Tax (CFU) applicable to legal entities ;
• Introduction, into the Gabonese Tax Code, of the notion of occult activity and institution of the modalities of taxation of such an activity.