Excise Revenues Soar in The Gambia Thanks to Tax Stamps

Between January and August this year, Gambia Revenue Authority (GRA) collected GMD 48,470,427.78 ($702,000) in excise duties, compared to just GMD 6,312,608.78 ($91,000) the previous year. This significant increase represents more than 800% of the country’s total excise revenue mobilisation.

The soaring revenues are in large part due to the launch of a new tax stamp and traceability system on excisable goods, which was fully implemented in March 2024.

The system is the result of a public- private partnership (PPP) between the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs and SICPA, with GRA as the implementing agency. The partnership covers the provision of a secure marking and traceability platform for tobacco products, bottled water, soft drinks, beer, wine, spirits, and flour.

An integral part of the solution is a multilevel-security tax stamp with unique 2D barcode, applied either via a label or directly printed on the product.

The incremental revenue was achieved in spite of some businesses failing to comply with the new programme, although a government letter posted on GRA’s Facebook page in September applauded the business community for ‘mostly’ complying with it. Moreover, the letter urged all ministries, departments, agencies, and citizens to check that goods falling under the scheme were carrying tax stamps and that no unstamped goods were being purchased.