Côte d'Ivoire

Steady industrial growth coupled with increased spending on infrastructure and modest inflation helped sustain momentum in Côte d’Ivoire’s economy in 2017, balancing out lower returns from the agricultural sector. GDP growth in the country reached 7.6% that year, despite a fall in revenue due to lower cocoa prices and social unrest. In October...

Although macroeconomic performance remains robust compared to peer countries, there is clear evidence of a slowdown driven by the 50% fall cocoa prices between the late-2015 peak and early 2018. This puts pressure on tax revenue and the fiscal deficit while slowing GDP growth. The result is a higher debt-to-GDP ratio than anticipated, causing...

In the north-west of Abidjan lies Côte d’Ivoire’s most populous commune, Yopougon, or Yop-city, as it is often referred to by locals. One of Abidjan’s 13 communes, it is home to nearly 2m people, according to the most recent official census in 2014, which is roughly one-quarter of Abidjan’s total population. Separated from the rest of the city...

The fiscal legislator has instituted a new fiscal obligation through the establishment of Article 15 of the Tax Schedule to the Law No. 2016-1116 of December 8, 2016, concerning the state’s budget for FY 2017. Those concerned by the declarative obligation on transfer pricing are companies established in Côte d’Ivoire which have links, most...

Côte d’Ivoire is a civil law country. As such, the legal system does not rely on prior decisions, but is instead structured by several different specific codes. The supreme law of the country is the constitution adopted by referendum on October 30, 2016. The legal hierarchy of the country puts the constitution at the top of the legal pyramid...

Foreign investors often wonder about the Ivorian fiscal system, most notably concerning the value-added tax (VAT). The most common issues cited are those related to the scope of the tax’s application, the exemptions and deductions, and above all, the refund system.