Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) for Ethiopia
An opinion piece criticizes the Ethiopian government's reliance on aggressive fine collection and taxation to meet budget goals. The author argues that using regulatory bodies as revenue generators incentivizes poor governance and petty harassment of citizens.
Why it matters
This highlights the tension between fiscal policy and administrative integrity in developing economies facing budget shortfalls.
I knew the 1.6 trillion birr government expense earmarked to be covered by internal revenue was trouble and shared my common sense protest immediately after the budget was endorsed into law. Here comes the first sign.
Joint Federal and Regional vehicle ownership taxation is in the pipeline. Many more are yet to come. The ugly part of generating internal revenue is effectively it levies quotas on regulatory bodies to collect fines and penalties. Customs, traffic, road transport and the notorious petty offence watchdogs all are required to generate revenue. Such income is tainted money and it is a veritable testament to the failure of the said organs of government. The more money the Offices collect the worse their performance is.
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