馃嚞馃嚘GabonCentral Africa
Gabon government owes 20 billion CFA francs in VAT to timber companies, Vice President Immongault promises repayment moratorium
via Gabon Review2 min read
Several major timber companies in Gabon are facing significant cash flow deficits due to the Gabonese state's non-repayment of nearly 20 billion CFA francs in Value Added Tax VAT. These companies raised their concerns with Vice President Hermann Immongault, who committed to implementing a payment moratorium to gradually clear this debt and safeguard a sector that is among the country's largest employers. On July 6, Immongault met with ambassadors from the European Union, France, Italy, and Spain, who presented the critical situation of European companies in the timber sector, attributing their liquidity crisis largely to the unpaid VAT. The cumulative tax debt of approximately 20 billion CFA francs is weakening the finances of several long-standing operators. Companies like Arbor, CEB, Precious Woods, and Th茅bault, represented by the ambassadors, also highlighted administrative hurdles in renewing logging permits and perceived unfair competition from industries in the Nkok Special Investment Zone, which benefit from a more favorable tax regime. These factors threaten the sustainability of their operations, despite the timber sector being the second-largest employer after the public service. During a meeting that included ministers of Water and Forests and Budget, Immongault acknowledged the issues and announced the government's concrete commitment to progressively repay the VAT arrears through a phased payment moratorium. Beyond the VAT reimbursement, discussions also focused
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