In the ordinance amending and supplementing certain provisions of the 2022 finance law, submitted to parliament for approval, they are now 226.2 billion CFA francs, an increase of 10 billion (4.6% in relative value) compared to the initial budget forecasts, adopted in November 2021.

According to the government, this increase is mainly due to the revenue from the sale of Covid-19 tests. Indeed, the country decided on 8 April 2012 to charge FCFA 30 000 for PCR tests in order to ensure the sustainability of this activity. An article enshrining this decision was added to the 2022 finance law by the ordinance submitted to parliament for validation.

The authorities justify this decision by the persistence of Covid-19 in the country and the resulting budgetary constraints. The purchase of these tests would have cost the state fcfa 24 billion between May 2020 and January 2021, while the Cameroonian economy has been severely impacted by the health crisis. With this gain in revenue in prospect, the State hopes to lighten its health bill.

But it should be noted that, despite this projected increase in non-tax revenue, Cameroon is still below its potential in this area. According to the Ministry of Finance , the country is struggling to collect the said revenue while their annual potential is fcfa 620 billion on average.