The decentralized territorial entity Chefferie de Buhavu held on 27 and 28 January 2020 in Minova, South Kivu, the budget conference dedicated to the fiscal year 2020.
80 people from 7 groups of the Chefferie, representing the agents of the Territoire of Kalehe, the technical services of the Chefferie, the taxing agents, delegates from platforms of youth, women and civil society, local development committees, members representing economic operators, went through the history of the budget since 2017, evaluated the implementation of the 2019 budget and elaborated the budget forecasts for 2020 in a participatory manner as well as recommendations for the Chefferie.
One of the important aspects discussed was the budget extract containing the nomenclature of taxes and tax rates. This activity ends with the validation of the budget estimates of the Chefferie in a consensual manner.
On Monday, the Accounting Receiver presented the budget of the Chefferie for 2020: 16% must come from the retrocession of the national level (last year the national government paid only for 5 months); 48% from the retrocession of taxes of common interest with the province (0% for 9 years); 36% must come from own revenues. It therefore appears that the Chefferie will have to rely on its own resources. This presupposes a participatory resource mobilization strategy, and therefore a consent to taxation on the part of the population.
These conferences are very dynamic and are a source of heated debates between the various representatives of stakeholders. Following the presentation of the budget, for example, the market vendors expressed their feeling of injustice because they consider their contributions too high compared to those of the mining sector. Pedagogical work needs to be undertaken between taxers and taxed, governors and governed, as an asymmetrical understanding of the nomenclature of taxes can lead to conflicts.
At the end of the budget conference, a consensus was reached so that everyone could benefit from it, and that the Chefferie would benefit from a budget that would allow it to function.