During a series of workshops organized last month by the Ministry of Finance in collaboration with the Ministry of Interior and Territorial Communities, conducted in 5 departments, mayors, representatives of Boards of Communal Sections (CASECs), Directors and fiscal agents of 140 communes of country, and interim executive officers, were able to present their views on the consultation launched by the Government on the reform of public finances, particularly at the municipal level.

This approach aimed to increase the efficiency of government while strengthening the involvement of mayors and CASECS in drafting laws until their implementation, currently governed by legal texts, whose most of whom are obsolete.

In view of the proposed amendments on the initiative and under the responsibility of the Ministry of Finance, new measures will be taken to generate new tax resources to empower local authorities and broaden the base of capital by strengthening direct taxation.

These changes are designed to adapt certain provisions of the law, particularly those dealing with the alignment right (construction permits) on the occasion of the erection of a fence or building, of certificates of sale and slaughtering (commonly called "pass"), of contribution of land built properties (rental tax)...

As an example of corrective measures, the law provides two mechanisms for determining the taxable amount of the "Contribution Foncière des Propriétés Bâties" (CFPB). Priority is given to the rental value, while the mechanism of the market value is taken into account exceptionally not say never. It is proposed to move from the rental value to the market value, as a basis for taxation, and distribute the revenues of the CFPB between the communes, the Treasury, the Social Assistance Fund (CAS) and the Emergency Fund (FDU).

Other innovation the Property Tax on undeveloped properties (IFPNB) will be institutionalized in order to modernize the tax system by integrating it into the legal and fiscal corpus. Taxation rate based on the market value of empty land (urban and rural), are proposed, except for Government Property, embassies, churches, arable land fallow (rest) and exceptionally land became empty after the 2010 earthquake.

In addition, the State has proposed to assign certain rights to municipalities, including the right to rent and the rental of the property of his private domain. Recall that the Treasury currently receives the entire amount collected with the new proposal, the state would receive 40% and the remaining 60% would go to municipalities.

Finally, the regulations relating to the burial plot in cemetery, calibration, and wreck tax, materials and food on the streets, the shops, gazebo and ajoupas will be clarified and supplemented to meet the evolution of communal issues.

The Ministry of Finance is committed to integrate most of the complaints expressed by community representatives in the regulatory texts concerned, which will be discussed in the Council of Ministers. These changes will be included in the accompanying documents of the Finance Act which will come into force next fiscal year 2014-2015.

HL/ HaitiLibre