A reform of tax breaks on imports of refined petroleum products boosted Democratic Republic of Congo revenue in 2025, the finance ministry said.
In a Jan. 20 statement, the ministry said oil-related receipts jumped nearly 1,700% after the government scrapped exemptions for mining companies and their subcontractors in late July.
It said monthly revenue rose from an average 4.43 billion Congolese francs ($2 million) between January and July 2025 to 78.5 billion francs ($36 million) between August and December 2025. Total receipts for the year reached 423.6 billion francs ($194 million).
“Thanks to this coordinated reform, the DGDA significantly increased revenue collection, reaching 6,848 billion Congolese francs ($3.13 billion) at the end of December 2025, compared with 6,280 billion Congolese francs ($2.87 billion) budgeted in the 2025 Treasury Plan (PTR),” the ministry said, exceeding the target by 9%.
The ministry said fuel tax breaks totalled $1.6 billion in 2022 and $1.1 billion in 2023, equivalent to an average 15% of state revenue over the two fiscal years. It said the scale of subsidies, exemptions and preferential tax treatment had significantly reduced public resources, prompting the government to overhaul tax breaks on petroleum product imports.
Under Article 22 of the 2025 finance law, the government removed subsidies and exemptions from import duties and taxes, including customs duties and VAT, for fuels used in mining operations or sold to mining companies and their subcontractors. The measure covered products including gasoline, kerosene, diesel, fuel oil, lamp oil and LPG.
The decision was implemented through an inter-ministerial decree signed on May 2, 2025, by the ministries of National Economy, Finance and Hydrocarbons.
The reform took effect in late July 2025 with the publication of a new pricing schedule for fuels sold to the mining sector, mainly in the country’s southern and eastern regions. At the same time, the finance ministry suspended certain import exemptions, while the hydrocarbons ministry stepped up inspections and fuel tracking operations.
Boaz Kabeya
