LIBREVILLE — Gabon has launched an aggressive recovery drive to collect more than XAF 800 billion in unpaid taxes from companies, a move framed by officials as essential to rebuild fiscal space after years of leakage from incentives and arrears. The campaign, unveiled on 14 October 2025 by Economy and Finance Minister Henri-Claude Oyima, prioritises recent “restes à recouvrer” of XAF 530.9 bn (2023) and XAF 272.9 bn (2024) identified at the tax authority. Gabon Review
What the government announced—and how it will work
The ministry’s message is blunt: targeted recovery actions will focus on corporate debt held at local tax centres, with a structured timetable and clear escalation rules. In parallel, the Treasury has inaugurated a specialised unit—Recette-Perception du Contentieux de l’État—to harden enforcement for state receivables emerging from disputes and court decisions, signalling tighter coordination between tax and Treasury for end-to-end recovery.
Why now: a policy pivot away from porous incentives
The arrears push follows a mid-year policy reset. On 20 June 2025, the Council of Ministers suspended new tax and customs exemptions for three months and ordered a full audit after authorities tallied a > XAF 1 trillion revenue hole over three years linked to under-controlled incentives. That freeze—and the forthcoming audit—set the context for today’s tougher collection stance.
Fiscal stakes and macro context
Putting XAF 800 bn back on track would materially improve cash management and help finance priority spending without fresh borrowing. It would also diversify away from volatile oil receipts. Officials and local outlets have framed the effort as part of a broader modernisation of public-finance operations marked this week by the Treasury’s 60th anniversary—with transparency and digital upgrades as recurring themes.
What businesses should expect
Companies with outstanding assessments should anticipate formal notices, payment plans, and swifter escalation when arrangements break down. The new Treasury unit is meant to cut the lag between a confirmed liability and cash recovery, including the enforcement of judgments. For compliant firms, authorities say the campaign aims to level the playing field by reducing the advantage of chronic non-payers.
Implementation risks—and how to mitigate them
Three risks could blunt results. First, data quality: legacy balances sometimes mix contested and collectible debt; a clean ledger and dispute triage are critical. Second, capacity: recovery surges can overwhelm regional centres unless supported by standardised workflows and dashboards. Third, cash-flow strain: heavy-handed enforcement could hit working capital; time-bound, performance-linked payment plans can protect both revenue and jobs. Pairing recovery with ongoing incentive-regime reforms and e-process upgrades would improve durability. (These themes run through recent policy communiqués and Treasury statements.)
Bottom line
Gabon’s arrears offensive is the fiscal counterpart to its incentives clean-up: collect what is due, plug leakages, and rebuild credibility. If the administration couples firm recovery with transparent rules, credible dispute resolution and modernised collections, the XAF 800 bn target can become not just a one-off windfall but a step toward a more predictable revenue system.
