The Commissioner General of the Gambia Revenue Authority (GRA), Yankuba Darboe, has reported that the smuggling of taxable goods into the country has been reduced by 95% following the introduction of digital excise stamps.
The Gambia’s revenue mobilisation chief expressed enthusiasm that this development has created more market opportunities for local producers and importers.
In an interview with local journalists, CG Darboe explained that a digital tax stamp is being applied to cigarettes, flour, soft drinks, and all excisable commodities. He acknowledged the government’s support in creating an enabling environment for the country’s primary revenue mobilising agency to collect taxes for national development.
The GRA chief pointed out that the agency would not have succeeded in virtually eliminating the smuggling of excisable commodities without the government’s backing, as the policy has faced resistance from certain quarters. He further recognised the government’s support in advancing the GRA’s reform agenda, noting that such reforms would increase tax revenue.
CG Darboe emphasised the importance of digital taxation in domestic revenue mobilisation, stating that in this day and age, most developing countries are advocating for domestic revenue generation rather than relying on external sources of revenue.
“Whatever we are doing, the government is helping us to make sure that we can collect more for the use of the government. GRA comes with reforms, and the government supports us so that at the end of the day, there is a strong digital structure on different tax lines, and we will be able to collect more revenue that the government can use to sustain whatever development desire they have,” the GRA boss said.
He also said The Gambia is standing high when it comes to domestic revenue mobilization, explaining that GRA’s modus operandi makes it one of the best in the sub-region as they enjoy the support of the government in pushing forward their reforms.
“If we don’t have the support of the government, some of these reforms will be hard,” he said.
The digital stamp initiative was introduced in March 2024 in The Gambia to revolutionise the tracking and monitoring of excisable products in real time. This followed an agreement between the government of The Gambia and SICPA, the solution provider, in fulfilment of the GRA’s reform priorities as outlined in their Corporate Strategy Plan 2020-2024.
According to the GRA, the initiative is expected to streamline operations by enabling them to swiftly identify and prevent illicit trade and smuggling.
Speaking about the revenue mobilisation solution provided by SICPA, Finance Minister Seedy Keita stated that its full implementation would enable the GRA to access accurate, real-time production data for locally produced excisable goods and to distinguish between illicit and legitimately imported excisable goods.
“This (DTS) will protect the market share from unfair competition from fake and illicit products and the public will gain through the consumption of genuinely imported and locally produced excisable goods,” he said.
