(Ecofin Agency) - The Ivorian government announced it has set up a digital tax control system. Finalized on January 1, this tool was presented to the private sector this week.

The system aims to measure the level of tax compliance. It will allow tax authorities to optimize tax control based on objective risk analysis criteria and ensure effective traceability of tax audits at the hierarchical level.

The Ivorian authorities believe that this new reform will bring greater transparency in tax governance and greater ethics in tax audits. Companies will also benefit from better traceability of actions and optimization of the reinforcement of the taxpayer's guarantees in addition to saving time.

In the long run, the digitization of tax audits should lead to "the development of legal provisions, the automatic generation of the 2023 tax program based on the rating of taxpayers - with little human intervention, and the online payment of taxes -like the spontaneous declarations and payments." This reform aligns with the government’s ambition to improve the legal security of businesses, the transparency, and neutrality of tax control, and tax predictability. Ultimately, it will contribute to "the improvement of the business climate, so that more investments are attracted in the country.

"The implementation of this system shows that the administration is at the service of companies to ensure that they work in a transparent environment. It also shows that the services of the ministry can provide appropriate responses when problems arise," said the Ivorian Minister of Budget and State Portfolio, Moussa Sanogo (pictured, right).

Ivorian authorities have been undertaking reforms to digitize the General Directorate of Taxes (DGI) since 2017. The ministry intends to launch the digitization of VAT in February and "a module on real estate and movable property taxation" will be implemented in March.

Jean-Marc Gogbeu, intern