Ministry of Revenues Begins Installing Surveillance Cameras in Beverage Factories to Curb Tax Evasion

The Ethiopian Ministry of Revenues has initiated the installation of high-quality surveillance cameras across excise tax-paying manufacturing facilities, particularly focusing on beer and bottled beverage factories. According to a report by Capital Newspaper, the Ethiopian government has allocated an estimated budget of 300 million Birr to implement this digital monitoring system. The installed cameras will provide real-time tracking of production lines, packaging areas, warehouses, loading bays, and product transportation. This system aims to significantly curb tax evasion by identifying discrepancies between actual factory output and reported production volumes. Under existing directives, excise-taxable goods—including alcohol, beer, wine, bottled water, tobacco, perfume, and carbonated beverages—must be identified using digital codes or excise stamps. Additionally, manufacturing plants are required to install technology systems at their own expense to enable remote monitoring of their production and transport operations.