In Namibia, the Directorate of Forestry, which is an arm of the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, has the mandate to manage and control the utilization of forest resources. This report describes the processes of administering the forest revenue system in Namibia and expenditure by the Directorate.
Anybody who wants to harvest forest products in Namibia must obtain a permit. Charges for these permits are set by the Directorate of Forestry in consultation with other stakeholders and public representatives. Proposed revisions to charges are approved by the Permanent Secretary to the Minister of Finance and are then disseminated through the Directorate’s District Offices. District Forest Officers collect charges on forest products and these revenues are remitted to the Directorate’s Regional Headquarters, who then send them to Ministry of Finance. The only charges on processed forest products are income taxes on producers, although it is proposed to implement a system of value-added tax (VAT).
Forest revenue collected by the Directorate is currently about N$ 420,000 (USD 52,200), compared with a budget for the Directorate of N$ 14,849,000 (USD 1,845,500). In addition, the Directorate receives a significant amount of funding from foreign donors. The report is of the opinion that if the forest resources are well harnessed they could yield enough revenue for forestry development in Namibia.
