African governments let too many taxpayers off the hook
The range of tax breaks can be bewildering
![A stitch in time](https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/sites/default/files/images/print-edition/20180818_FNP002_0.jpg)
TAX collection in Africa resembles an exasperating fishing expedition, in which the big fish wriggle into tax havens and the tiddlers hide in the informal sector. It is made even harder by a self-inflicted problem. Governments give out a range of exemptions, thereby poking holes in their own nets.
This article appeared in the Finance & economics section of the print edition under the headline “Slipping through the net”
Finance & economics August 18th 2018
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