Stamp Duty On Print Advertising in Cameroon

Yesterday I shared with you 8 common council taxes in Cameroon that you may not have known. When I was writing that post, it came to my mind that many people don’t know that they pay a charge for advertising to the council. It is called stamp duty on advertising.

Today, I will talk about stamp duty on print advertising in Cameroon. This is because print advertising is more affordable and many small business owners go for it. I am talking about posters, leaflets and handbills and advertising hoardings.

Let’s get a clearer picture of the three below:

Posters

These are text or pictures printed on paper for the purpose of advertising. It has any of the following characteristics:

• It can be protected or unprotected
• Has been placed in a public place or place open to the public for a period of six months
• It is visible from a public place or on vehicles
• Hasn’t got neon signs

Leaflets and handbills

This is one of the most common method of advertising for new businesses. Here, we are talking of those printed literature (fliers) that are shared in public places as well as places open to the public. It has the following characteristics:

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• Literature freely distributed in public places or places open to the public
• It’s non-technical

Advertising hoardings

These are pictures or words for the purpose of advertising. Below are some of it’s characteristics:

• Can be luminous or not,
• They are not posters
• Has been placed in a public place or place open to the public
• Visible to the public or on vehicles.
• Doesn’t use neon signs

In all categories, there is no differentiation whether the said advertising material is for payment or otherwise.

Stamp duty rates for print advertising

The stamp duty rate for print advertising in Cameroon is put at 3% on the cost of advertising for each medium. The same rate applies for those who print posters, leaflets or handbills in Cameroon and outside of Cameroon.

How does the councils collect this stamp duty on advertising given that most small businesses that use print materials are not aware of the tax.

Do you know why printers put their names and contacts on print adverts? See why printers put their name and contact on posters, leaflets and handbills? We will see that in my next post.