Alert!!!! False Tax Stamps Circulates In Cameroon

Alert: false tax stamps circulate in Cameroon

Minister of Finance rings alert to false tax stamps circulating in the country

"In accordance with the tax legislation in force, tax stamps are exclusively sold in tax receipts, tax revenue boards, stamp receipts boards, general treasuries, finance receipts and perceptions." This is in part the content of a press release issued by the Cameroonian Finance Minister, Alamine Ousmane Mey (photo), who points out in passing that the General Directorate of Taxes remains available for any requisition to authenticate the stamps doubtful taxes. 

The exit of the boss of public finances intervenes in a context of renewed complaints of candidates in the various administrative examinations, who see their files rejected at the time of filing, due to false stamps stamps tax appearing on various parts of their recruitment files. Indeed, taking advantage of the lack of vigilance of candidates, some sellers of improvised stamps and other directors posted around the public services that the candidates emume, affix on the files of false stamps displaying on their upper sides the amount "0000 FCFA" instead of "1,000 FCFA". 

This stratagem consists in making the unsuspecting candidate believe that his file has been stamped at the official price, and finally to divert the money paid by it from the state coffers. Also, in his statement, the Minister of Finance invites users to obtain the stamps only at the official points of sale, in order to avoid any inconvenience.

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This practice seems to have replaced that which, for certain tax officials and accomplices within the company in charge of the maintenance of the stamping machines, has falsely declared a stamping machine. Once it had left the official circuit, it was then fraudulently reintroduced in a parallel circuit to allow the members of the network to enrich themselves to the detriment of the State. 

As a reminder, the stamping machines were introduced in Cameroon a few years ago in order to avoid counterfeiting of the physical stamps that then raged in the country. But, to the observation, these stamping machines also do not seem to have disarmed the fraudsters, who continue to cause the Treasury to lose significant financial resources each year.