The coffers of the Avenir Communication group, which publishes the newspaper “Le Quotidien”, are empty. “The tax authorities are executing a seizure and sale of our assets to recover FCfa 35 million”, indicated Madiambal Diagne (photo), the manager of this private media company in Senegal. Created in 2002, the group also owns the weekly “Week End Magazine” and the satirical newspaper “Cocorico”. There is also a printing office.

The newspaper “the Quotidien” remains the star publication of this company which operates in a difficult economic environment for the press. It is this difficulty to remain in operation that Madiambal Diagne talks about in the editorial he published on the day following the payment of the yearly subsidy that the state allocates to the press.

In Senegal, there are talks about the Press Fund of an amount of FCfa 700 million, recalls the Avenir Communication group’s boss. His company received FCfa 17 million, a paltry sum in his opinion, when the tax revenue office is proceeding with the forced recovery of FCfa 35 million. Moreover, Madiambal Diagne adds, the company has to pay contributions to the Senegal Pension Fund Institution and the Social Security Office (CSS). The requested moratoriums have all expired.

This is the opportunity for Madiambal Diagne to remind that the financial situation of his group is the same for the quasi-totality of media companies in Senegal, whether public or private. One can recall that in 2013, the tax authority had sealed the bank accounts of the Radiodiffusion Télévision Sénégalaise (RTS), the daily “Le Soleil” or even the Walfadjri group. This is what is going to happen eventually, because media companies are going from moratorium to moratorium, without ever being able to completely erase their fiscal debt.

There is a need to put in place a tax system compatible for media companies, the Senegal Media Distribution and Publishing Companies Council (CDEPS), which Madiambal Diagne has led for 7 years, has been requesting for years.