A new platform to share data between the Customs and Revenue Authorities facilitates improvement in the management of VAT (Value Added Tax) reimbursements.

With funding from GIZ, RDF has provided the new platform that was launched on August 27 at a meeting in Yaoundé, Cameroon, by the Directeur Général des Impôts, Modeste Mopa Fatoing. It was attended by officials from both the Customs Authority and the Revenue Authority, la Direction Général des Impôts.

The launch of the platform, called RD FUSION, enables the Customs Authority and the Revenue Authority to share, view, and use the data in one place, allowing the two departments to work together more efficiently. It helps improve the tax administration's compliance checks when processing company VAT reimbursements.

The launch of the groundbreaking platform came in response to a request by the government to tackle challenges in the management of VAT credits. Previously, it was not possible for officers to access data from other departments, and compliance checks were done only on the basis of submitted paper records. The FUSION platform allows tax officers access to a comprehensive company profile showing all transactions and claims made.

The platform is a first step toward creating a broader risk management tool that allows the authorities to better target their audits toward companies that are most likely to be non-compliant in their payment of taxes.