Parliament Ratifies Bilateral Tax Treaties

Jun 3 , 2023


Parliamentarians greenlighted a tax treaty agreement with Switzerland and Luxembourg, expanding the number of countries with bilateral tax treaties with Ethiopia to 20. Tax treaties entail the waving of taxes on passive and active incomes for citizens hailing from the signatory countries, while these uniquely grant the waiving of taxes for residents. State Minister for Finance Eyob Tekalegn attributed the trade importance of the two countries as the prime motive when it was presented before the Standing Committee of Plan, Budget & Finance. Switzerland was the number one destination for Ethiopian exports in the last fiscal year accounting for 32pc of the export volume. The Minister of Finance Ahmed Shide had indicated three weeks prior that increasing the tax-to-GDP ratio of the country is a national agenda as budgetary ceilings are circulated to most government institutions.


Radar

Central Bank's Auction Sends Dollar Soaring to 135 Br

A dollar value against the Birr exceeds 135 during an auction the Central Bank held last week, offering 60 million dollars. Close to 27 banks made their bid where the weighted average was 135.61 Br for a dollar. The National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE) announced the results of the special foreign exchange auction, the second since monetary authorities floated the forex regime in early August last year. Last week's result reflects a weaker Birr than in the first when the average rate was 107.9 Br....


Radar

Ethio Telecom Bids to Dominate Ethiopia's Digital Future

An array of services from digital livestock tracking, push-to-talk/video communications to cloud-based banking, an education management system (EMS), and enterprise resource Planning (ERP) are available from the state-owned Ethio telecom. Ethio telecom has introduced seven new cloud-based digital services last week at the Skylight Hotel, on Africa Avenue (Bole Road), pledging to transform business operations, financial services, and education management. The company said that these solutions...


Radar

Addis International Convention Centre Inaugurates

The much-anticipated Addis International Convention Centre, spanning 40 hectares, was officially inaugurated last week. It is set to become the country's largest conference venue, designed to host both national and international events. The centre features two large halls, each accommodating 3,000 to 4,000 people. It also includes eight smaller meeting rooms, bringing its total capacity to 10,000 attendees. Two hotels, with a combined 1,000-bed capacity, will serve both local and internationa...