politics馃嚫馃嚦 Senegal
Senegal's National Assembly establishes parliamentary inquiry into tax exemptions and waivers
Senegal's National Assembly has adopted a resolution to create a parliamentary inquiry commission to investigate the management of tax exemptions, waivers, and debt cancellations since January 1, 2014. The resolution, proposed by the PASTEF-Les Patriotes group and signed by its president Mohamed Salim Ayib Daff茅, aims to determine the conditions under which the state may have foregone significant tax revenues and to assess the potential financial shortfall for public finances. The inquiry will focus on several industrial and mining cases, including ADDAX Energy, with a reported tax adjustment of 100 billion CFA francs; Sabodala Gold Operations SGO, where a 140 billion CFA franc adjustment was allegedly reduced to 14 billion; and a tax dispute involving Barrick Gold Corporation, initially valued at over 122 billion CFA francs. Deputies also intend to examine exemptions granted to companies and entities such as ICS, Teranga Gold, and the Port of Bargny. The parliamentarians are particularly interested in adherence to Article 715 of the General Tax Code, which governs tax reductions and moderations. The commission, comprising eleven deputies, will interview former and current Ministers of Finance and Mines, officials from the DGID, and relevant administrative actors and companies. Its mandate includes reconstructing procedures, verifying their compliance with the legal framework, measuring budgetary consequences, and identifying potential responsibilities to determine if the exa