Limbe’s Medium size Taxpayers’ office launched

Alamine Ousman cuts symbolic ribbon to launch MTO Limbe

The Minister of Finance, Alamine Ousmane Mey inaugurated the new office on Tuesday March 10, 2015, and called for tax services to be more customer-friendly.
By Ojong Steven Ayukogem on assignment in Limbe
Workers of taxation services have been urged to improve the quality of services and render tax administration more customer-friendly, this with a view to facilitate compliance by taxpayers. The call was made by Finance Minister, Alamine Ousmane Mey, in Limbe, on Tuesday 10 march 2015 as he presided over the official launching of the Meduim Size Taxpayers’ Office (MTO) Limbe.
    Addressing the impressive crowd that witnessed the occasion, Ousmane Mey said the creation of the MTO in Limbe and other major towns in the country falls within the framework of the new organization of tax services taking advantage of the principle of tax population segmentation.
    “This new organization of tax services aims to take full advantage of the principle of tax population segmentation with a view to creating a tax administration that treats the taxpayer as a “client” who should benefit from a customer-made service,” said Mr. Ousmane Mey, who added that the reform also seeks to “widen the tax base and increase the portfolio of Medium-size Enterprises to meet international standards situated at between 20% to 25% of the overall tax population.”

    Because of its ever increasing challenge as the biggest single generator of resources for the state, Minister Ousmane Mey said the tax administration needed a complete overhaul to give taxation personnel a better mastery of tax reforms with a view to improve performance and render quality services to the public.
    He explained that following the new segmentation of taxable populations, the Large Taxpayers’ Unit (LTU) will now focus essentially on companies with a turnover above 3 billion, up from the previous one billion CFA. For their part, the Medium Taxpayers Offices MTOs have had their portfolios broadened to also include all taxpayers liable for the Value Added Tax (VAT). But more especially MOTs will handle taxpayers with turnover between 50m to 3 billion FCFA.
    Because the portfolio for MTOs has been greatly broadened, Ousmane Mey said 5 new MTOs have been created; two (02) in Douala and one (01) each in Yaounde, Limbe and Bafoussam respectively. This now increases the number of MTOs to 7, up from 2. The population of Meduim Size Taxpayers also witnessed a steep rise from 1600 to 11000 enterprises.
    The new reforms also concerned the Divisional Tax Centres (DTC) that will now focus on and optimize tax collection from small and micro businesses and ensure a better administration of property and Real Estate Taxes.
    Other reforms include the electronic declaration (e-filing) for taxpayers of the LTU, MTO and taxpayers liable to payment of property tax but who are not in possession of the pre-filled tax return.
    The MTO Limbe was created by a ministerial decision on 24th June 2014. It is located at the SW Regional Taxation Treasury and covers the 569 taxpayers with a turnover of between 50m to 3bn FCFA in the entire South West region.
    The launching, ceremony was attended among others by Senators, MPs, local administrators, the Director General of Taxation Mopa Fatoing, the GM of SONARA, the SW Treasury Pay-Master and Regional Customs boss, heads of taxation services and the business community.