BRUSSELS: Tax collection in Burundi rose 23 percent in November compared with the same period in 2015, exceeding initial forecasts, the country’s revenue board said on Wednesday.
The semi-autonomous tax authority (OBR) said it collected 55.5 billion francs, up from its target of 49.9 billion francs and the 45.3 billion francs it received in November 2015. No explanation was given by OBR for the improved receipts.
But the OBR said two months ago that business activity had rebounded across the country, in particular in the capital Bujumbura as security improved after several months of political violence provoked by President Pierre Nkurunziza’s decision to run for a third term in April last year.
Overall tax revenues between January and November this year climbed to 578.5 billion francs from 523 billion francs in 2015.
The aid-dependent nation has been forced to rely on domestic tax resources and modest revenues from coffee and tea exports since its main donors like European Union and Belgium suspended vital aid over accusations of gross human rights violations.
