Bibliographie sélective OHADA

The aim of this research is to determine how the application of Big Data and Data Analytics techniques influences the external audit. The impact on the working methods and the audit quality is discussed. Furthermore, the technological maturity of the Belgian and Luxembourgish audit industry is analysed. Therefore, the following research questions are asked: How do Big Data and Data Analytics influence the audit working method? What is the impact of Big Data and Data Analytics on the audit quality? How is the audit risk identification and assessment phase influenced? Which audit risks can be identified? Which tools and techniques do the Belgian and Luxembourgish auditors use and where do they stand? In order to answer the research question, scientific articles were analysed in the context of the literature review. Subsequently, a case study was carried out. Interviews with experts in Belgium and Luxembourg were conducted. The results of the research show that there is high potential to use these technologies in audit. Nevertheless, it is also connected with initial investments and a certain agreement of the clients. There is high potential to enhance the auditor’s effectiveness and efficiency, but the complete impact cannot yet be analysed. The audit quality can be enhanced when qualitative analyses generates audit evidence based on high quality data. The Belgian and Luxembourgish audit industry has just started implementing the technologies.

Much has been written about the consequences for companies of criminal convictions for bribery and other corrupt practices. However, less attention has been paid to the sanctions regimes that have been developed by multilateral development banks in order to combat fraud and corruption in their operations. This is likely to change in view of the fact that on 9 April 2010, the heads of five leading multilateral development banks (MDBs) – the African Development Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the Inter-American Development Bank and the World Bank Group – signed the Agreement for Mutual Enforcement of Debarment Decisions, which provides for mutual and reciprocal enforcement of debarment decisions taken by any one of them against parties that engage in fraud, corruption, coercion or collusion in connection with MDB-financed projects. For parties that are seeking financing form an MDB or are competing for contracts funded by an MDB, this means that a sanctionable practice committed in a single country could result in global sanctions. Against this background, this thesis examines the type of due process rights that should characterise MDBs’ sanctions procedures. More particularly, the thesis analyses the extent to which MDBs’ sanctions regimes should be bound by the rules of law, analogous to those of national judicial bodies, and the level of due process and transparency that should be required from these ever-evolving regimes. In other words, (how) can the tension between the administrative and business considerations of MDBs’ sanctions regimes (coupled with their immunity from judicial review) be reconciled with due process considerations and principles of fairness that underpin a national judicial model?

Comme la France, le Cameroun a hérité du système dit de « budget de moyens» qui met l’accent sur la régularité juridique dans la gestion des finances publiques. Des réformes engagées au cours de la décennie 2000, réorientent leurs systèmes financiers vers la recherche de performance de la dépense publique. En se fondant sur une approche globale des innovations introduites dans le droit public financier des systèmes considérés, ce travail tente de démontrer que la responsabilité des ordonnateurs, certes de nature et d’effectivité variables, ne répond plus uniquement à une logique juridique fondée sur le respect des règles de droit, mais davantage à une logique managériale guidée par la recherche de la performance sur la base d’objectifs établis et de résultats mesurables. Le projet se structure en deux phases. D’une part, la faute sanctionnable, quis’apprécie au regard des obligations qui incombent à l’ordonnateur, est tournée vers la préoccupation de la régularité juridique. D’autre part, cette préoccupation ne prend pas en compte l’exigence de performance, qui est à la base de la loi organique relative aux lois des finances.

La gouvernance d’entreprise est une matière vivante, riche, foisonnante qui a connu au cours des dernières années des développements de grande ampleur, tant dans la littérature académique que dans les guides pratiques. L’audit interne constitue un mécanisme de grande importance dans le processus de gouvernance de l’entreprise. De ce fait, considérant le poids et l’importance du rôle de cette fonction sur l’efficacité du système de gouvernance de l’entreprise, nous nous sommes intéressés, dans le cadre de notre étude, aux enjeux et à l’importance de l’audit interne en tant qu’instrument au service de la gouvernance d’entreprise et à l’analyse de sa contribution dans la performance du présent processus. The Corporate governance is a living, rich and abundant subject, which has experienced in recent years major developments, both in academic literature and practical guides. Internal audit is an important mechanism in the process of corporate governance. Therefore, considering the weight and the importance of this function on the efficiency of corporate governance, we will consider, in our study, the issues and the importance of internal audit as a tool serving the corporate governance and analyze its contribution in the performance of this process.

Le refinancement d’entreprises en difficulté est entouré d’une grande part de mystification. Aux yeux du grand public, il s’agit avant tout d’un moyen efficace de faire fortune pour les investisseurs s’y aventurant. Cette activité, connue également sous le nom de capital-retournement, est pourtant le domaine d’exercice exclusif de hauts techniciens de la finance et du droit. Le vaste droit de l’ingénierie financière encadre le refinancement d’entreprises en difficulté. Plongeant son lecteur au coeur de la haute finance d’entreprise, cette thèse démystifie le capital-retournement tout en voulant améliorer sa pratique. Pour cela, l’aspect juridique de la levée des fonds et de leur investissement fait l’objet d’une profonde analyse. À partir de celle-ci et de l’inspiration du droit étranger, de nouveaux outils dédiés à l’optimisation du refinancement d’entreprises en difficulté sont proposés. Cette thèse démontre le rôle prépondérant du droit de l’ingénierie financière dans le sauvetage d’emplois en France.

The broad objective of the study is to assess the problems of the traditional tax system in Nigeria and establish electronic taxation as a solution to these problems. The study adopted content analysis in analyzing text books, journals, newspapers and other essential materials that were used to obtain the needed information for the study. Extensive review of the literature showed that electronic tax system solves the problem of low tax collection, unavailability of tax statistics and poor record keeping, complex of payment and high cost of tax compliance. The implication of these findings is that an adoption of electronic tax system is an intelligent means of achieving a system of tax administration that allows for the collection and accountability of required taxes at a minimum cost. The study concluded that there are some challenges with the manual system of administering taxes and that modern technology could simplify these challenges and alienate them in the form e-tax. The study therefore recommended that government should support with everything on their disposal the establishment of e-tax administration so as to start ripping the benefit of high rate of compliance among taxpayers at all levels of government in Nigeria.  

Les fonds propres (entre autres, les bénéfices non distribués et les autres réserves tels qu’ils figurent au bilan) doivent servir à renforcer les banques. Ainsi, parmi les mesures introduites par Bâle III se trouvent les normes sur le risque de liquidité qui obligent les banques à sélectionner des actifs facilement cessibles sans perte de valeur pour alimenter leur trésorerie en cas de difficulté à cause de retraits massifs de la clientèle ou de l’assèchement du marché interbancaire. En outre, ces mêmes banques ont l’obligation de pondérer leurs actifs selon la qualité du risque. L’une des conséquences de cette obligation de pondération est qu’une augmentation du risque de contrepartie ou le développement des activités de marché devront être compensés par plus de fonds propres. Il est connu que beaucoup d’institutions bancaires à travers le monde ont du mal à respecter les règles prudentielles de Bâle (même les États-Unis ont tardé à adopter Bâle III), cet article a pour but d’analyser le respect du cadre réglementaire de Bâle III par l’Union Économique et Monétaire Ouest-Africain (UEMOA) et sa banque centrale, la Banque Centrale des États de l’Afrique de l’Ouest (BCEAO). Pour y parvenir, il est analysé un exemple de composant des fonds propres, les immobilisations incorporelles, et la politique de la BCEAO (vis-à-vis des institutions de crédit de la zone UEMOA) par rapport à leur prise en compte dans les risques pondérés. Une analyse qui porte à la fois sur le droit bancaire et le droit comptable.

This thesis investigates the adoption, compliance and consequences of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) in Africa, a continent which has mostly been ignored in prior studies due to the use of generic proxies. Drawing on DiMaggio and Powell (1983), this thesis examines the institutional pressures of IFRS adoption in Africa. Stakeholder salience theory, developed by Mitchell, Agle and Wood (1997), is employed to analyse the determinants of IFRS compliance outside the traditional capital market settings. As regards to the consequences of IFRS in Africa, this thesis analyses the impact of IFRS on audit fees, audit reporting lags and auditor switch. The study used panel data from 54 countries and 205 firms covering the financial years 2003-2016. Secondary data was sourced from reputable database and annual reports of sample companies. Different analytical tools such as ordinary least squares, logit and multinomial regressions were used based on their suitability to address the research questions. The study found that only 18 out of the 54 countries required all listed and large companies to report per IFRS, while 25 did not permit IFRS. The results supported the theoretical prediction that coercive, mimetic, and normative isomorphism influenced IFRS adoption in Africa. Specifically, the World Bank (WB) and International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) influence on African countries in adopting IFRS was not through foreign aid and grants; instead, their recommendations made in the Report on Observance of Standard and Codes (Accounting and Auditing) initiatives. The finding(s) also demonstrated that the presence of global audit firms and the number of years of IFAC membership had a strong association with a country’s decision to adopt IFRS. Moreover, countries with strong professional accounting organisations (PAO) were more likely to adopt IFRS. On IFRS compliance, the study found that the average compliance score among the companies over the period was 70.94%, with a minimum score of 58.59% and a maximum of 83.55%. The findings reported a significant positive association between audit committee competence (ACC) and compliance, and between chartered accountants on board (AOB) and compliance. The thesis also documented that compliance has been increasing over the years. Regarding the impact of IFRS on the audit market, the findings suggested IFRS was positively and significantly associated with an increase in audit fees regardless of early or late adoption. Also, on average, ARL increased by 26% across all samples, with late adopters experiencing 28% and earlier adopters 22% during the adoption year. Contrary to the late adopters, early adopters experienced a significant increase in audit fees during the pre-IFRS period due to the set-up and implementation at the time. In addition, IFRS adoption was likely to cause companies to switch from small audit firms to the Big 4. The findings on adoption suggest that global accounting agencies such as IFAC and IASB should focus on building vibrant national level accounting institutions such as PAOs to facilitate the adoption of IFRS in Africa. The thesis, therefore, adds to the adoption literature the finding that the isomorphic pressures in Africa are different from those suggested in prior studies. The results on compliance imply that companies that appoint more professional accountants to their boards are more likely to comply with the requirement of IFRS. Therefore, it is suggested that companies should engage more chartered accountants in their governance. Also, corporate boards must strive to strengthen their audit committees by appointing more NEDs and CAs to the committee. The findings also provide valuable information for professional accounting organisations on the role of its members (professional accountants) in the effectiveness of IFRS compliance. The findings of the consequences of IFRS on the audit market alert small and medium practitioners (SMPs) in non-IFRS countries of the possible loss of clients to the Big4 due to the adoption of IFRS. To mitigate this effect, the national PAO should build the capacity of their local accountants through training and education to handle the complexities and continuous upgrading of IFRS. Such training is seen as being crucial for SMPs in OHADA countries, Ethiopia, Djibouti and other countries which are in the process of implementing IFRS.

The definitions of ‘insider’ and ‘inside information’ in the Financial Markets Act 19 of 2012 are, as is the case with their international counterparts, central to the Act’s regulation of insider trading. It has long been recognised, however, that those definitions, inherited from repealed companies and market abuse legislation, are cumbersome and counter-intuitive. This state of affairs obtains as the South African legislature has failed to undertake the most fundamental enquiry in formulating a coherent regulatory scheme aimed at prohibiting supposedly wrongful conduct: identifying a single theory of wrongfulness upon which to base its prohibitions. Instead, the definitions include elements of all possible regulatory bases for insider trading, including those having as their object the protection of proprietary rights in information and born out of the fiduciary doctrine. It is argued that the definitions, part of legislation aimed at addressing a financial market wrong, should be formulated with reference to the rights and obligations at play in those markets and the legislature’s objectives for those markets. A proposal is made in that regard.

Depuis longtemps, le critère de rattachement retenu en droit interne et en droit conventionnel pour imposer les entreprises étrangères se fondait sur un principe simple d’application, celui de la territorialité et son corollaire l’établissement stable. Mais avec le phénomène de la globalisation et la numérisation de l’économie, ces règles classiques se révèlent de plus en plus désuètes.Aujourd’hui, les entreprises recourent soit à l’économie numérique, une économie, qui jusque-là reste affranchie de toute taxation ; soit aux transferts indirects de bénéfices pour réduire artificiellement leur bénéfice imposable ou pour transférer des bénéfices vers des pays à faible fiscalité. Cette situation ne fait que stimuler le marché de l’évasion fiscale, d’autant plus que les solutions proposées afin de remédier à ces insuffisances restent pour l’instant embryonnaires vu la résistance de certains Etats et surtout des entreprises.

La préoccupation majeure de tout État moderne est d’assurer son développement économique et social. Chaque État définit ses stratégies de développement en fonction de ses réalités. C’est le cas de la République centrafricaine (RCA). L’économie du pays est fragile et demeure marquée par une faible capacité à générer des revenus. En dépit d’un potentiel naturel très important, la RCA pâtit de son enclavement qui pèse sur le développement économique du pays. Or, l’un des problèmes-clés du développement économique est celui de son financement endogène. Si les capacités contributives font défaut, il est impossible d’assurer un développement harmonieux. En effet, le financement du développement d’un État reste tributaire de la performance des ressources fiscales et douanières. La politique fiscale a un rôle important à jouer dans le développement économique d’un pays. En Centrafrique, comme dans les pays en développement, la politique fiscale est la locomotive du développement. Car, l’outil essentiel de toute politique de mobilisation de ressources et de financement adéquat du développement est la fiscalité, véritable instrument de politique économique et sociale. La fiscalité est à ce titre la carte maîtresse des programmes économiques de ce pays qui, non seulement, est enclavé mais doit relever le défi de la reconstruction à la suite des troubles politiques qui l’ont secoué durant des décades. Ainsi, la question du financement endogène du développement en Centrafrique se situe dans un contexte nouveau et doit prendre en compte plusieurs paramètres, en vue d’améliorer la mobilisation des ressources financières nationales permettant d’assurer le financement du développement

Le crédit de regroupement destiné aux ménages et aux particuliers fait aujourd’hui partie intégrante des crédits régis par le code de la consommation. Dans un contexte de multi-endettement le plus souvent inadapté à la situation financière des débiteurs, le recours au regroupement de crédits s’inscrit dans la recherche de solutions par le débiteur pour résorber son malendettement ou mieux gérer son budget. Favorisée entre autres par la baisse des taux d’intérêt, l’offre de crédit de regroupement tend à devenir un outil de conquête de parts de marché. Demeuré longtemps sans encadrement précis, le regroupement de crédits bénéficie désormais d’un cadre strict et contraignant initié par la loi n°2010-737 du 1er juillet 2010 portant réforme du crédit à la consommation. Un encadrement dont la substance porte sur la définition des régimes des opérations de regroupement et leurs conditions de formation très formalistes et de nature consumériste. Cela traduit des avancées innovantes en la matière mais cette règlementation tient insuffisamment compte des spécificités du regroupement d’où la nécessité d’évoluer vers un cadre juridique spécifique plus approprié. Il est en effet nécessaire d’intégrer dans l’encadrement du regroupement la définition de l’opération, son procédé de mise en œuvre et d’autres aspects tenant au processus de restructuration. Ce qui permettra de définir des droits et des devoirs pour les parties prenantes aux crédits regroupés et de mieux tenir compte de la fragilité du consommateur-emprunteur par des mesures de prévention d’un nouvel engrenage dans l’endettement excessif. Le mécanisme du regroupement étant néanmoins susceptible de résorber efficacement le malendettement, il pourrait être utilisé comme mesure de traitement du malendettement dans le cadre des procédures de désendettement. Cela nécessite la définition de conditions d’ouverture du droit du surendettement aux situations de malendettement et de trouver des sources de financement du réaménagement de l’endettement via le crédit de regroupement que proposerait la Commission de surendettement. A propos, se tourner vers l’un des créanciers prêteurs est préconisé, mais il faudrait envisager la mise en place d’un fonds public spécifique de soutien aux particuliers qui financerait subsidiairement ledit crédit en cas d’exercice par le banquier de sa liberté de refuser le crédit. In fine, même si les différentes mesures de traitement du malendettement et du surendettement sont utiles, il est nécessaire et primordial de trouver de meilleurs outils pour les prévenir. The Consolidation of Debts to households and individual customers is now part of the Credit Offer regulated by the French Consumption Code Law.In the framework of multiple debts unfit to the financial situation of the Debtors, the use of debts consolidation is geared towards the search of solutions by Debtors to solve bad debts or better manage their budget. Favored by the decrease of interest rates, the consolidation of debts has evolved as a tool to gain additional market shares. Long Time without any structured monitoring, the consolidation of debts is now structured in a strict and binding framework initiated by the law n°2010-737 of July 2010 amending the consumption debt Law. A framework which is grounded on defining the different types of debts consolidation and the conditions of their creation – This process being very formal and of consumerist type. This entails innovative progress in this area field, but these rules do not take into account the peculiarities of debts consolidation, thus, implying the necessity to evolve towards a more specific legal framework. It is now compulsory to integrate within the framing of Debts Consolidation, the definition of the nature of these operations, their methods of implementation and additional aspects related to the restructuring process. This will allow to define the rights and obligations of the stakeholders to debts Consolidation and take into account the fragility of the consumer-borrower through prevention measures against the threat of falling back into the traps of excessive debts. The mechanisms of debts consolidation is however a potential way to solve excessive debts, it could be used as a healing measure to treat excessive Debts in the framework of deleveraging processes. For that purpose, leveraging one of the creditors can be advocated, but one should also contemplate the setup of a Public Fund to support individual customers, and that would finance alternatively such a credit, if not accepted by the bank.In fine, even though the different treatment measures against excessive and bad debts are useful, it is highly important to find out better tools to prevent those situations.

La titrisation des créances est une opération qui permet aux banques de se financer sur les marchés financiers à moindre coût et sans trop de risques. Pour réaliser l’opération, les banques cèdent les prêts qu’elles ont octroyés à une structure qui se chargera ensuite de les placer auprès des investisseurs. De plus, la titrisation permet également aux banques de gérer les risques liés aux prêts. Avec l’avènement de cette opération, les banques se soucient moins de la qualité et de la capacité financière des emprunteurs. Une fois le prêt accordé, les banques vont créer des portefeuilles de créances qui seront cédés par la suite. Une autre forme de titrisation permet de transférer uniquement le risque lié aux prêts sans toutefois sortir ces prêts du bilan de la banque: c’est la titrisation synthétique. Ces deux formes de titrisation, classique et synthétique, ont été utilisées auxÉtats-Unis et ont contribué à l’explosion de la bulle immobilière qui a entraîné une crise financière en 2008 : la crise des subprimes. La titrisation a donc occasionné le mouvement de contagion des risques qui s’en est suivi sur les marchés financiers. Les subprimes sont des prêts hypothécaires à risque accordés à un taux variable aux ménages américains à faible capacité financière. Le taux est bas les premières années, mais augmente progressivement. Titriser ce type de prêts revient à propager le risque de non-remboursement des emprunteurs à tous les différents intervenants de la chaîne. Et c’est ce qui s’est produit: les taux ont été relevés et les emprunteurs n’ont pas été capables d’assurer le paiement des différentes mensualités entraînant un blocage de tout le circuit. Les choses se sont passées de cette façon parce que, sur les marchés à cette période, l’appât du gain l’avait emporté sur le respect des règles d’encadrement des marchés, quasi inexistantes. Cette thèse propose des solutions d’encadrement du marché financieret de l’opération de titrisation en particulier. Entre la loi du marché, le droit et l’éthique, les recommandations faites dans cette dissertation se veulent complémentaires aux actions des différents régulateurs, nationaux et internationaux.

"Bu çalışmada finansal tabloların işlevleri, çeşitleri, düzenlenmesi ve tutulmasından kaynaklanan hukuksal sonuçlar incelenmiştir. Finansal tablolar, işletmenin finansal durumunun ve finansal performansının biçimlendirilmiş sunumudur. Bu tablolar aracılığıyla, şirketin finansal durumu hakkında bilgilendirme yapılmaktadır. Finansal tablolar, özellikle yabancı yatırımcının şirketlere güvenip yatırım kararı alması açısından önem arz etmektedir. Bu bağlamda, Türk Ticaret Kanunu'nun (TTK) genel gerekçesi beşinci paragrafında, uluslararası piyasaların bir parçası olmak hedefi ortaya konulmuştur. Hedefe ulaşmak için, finansal tabloların uluslararası standartlara göre düzenlenmesi gerekliliğine yer verilmiştir. Hedefe ulaşmada yeterli düzenleme yapılması konusunda Kamu Gözetimi, Muhasebe ve Denetim Standartları Kurumu görevlendirilmiştir. Kurum tarafından yapılan düzenlemeler, uluslararası muhasebe standartlarının çevirisinden ibaret olup, yeterli değildir. TTK ile muhasebe uygulaması arasında köprü kurulamamıştır. Ticaret ve vergi hukuku alanında yer alan düzenlemeler kapsamında iki ayrı uygulama yürütülmektedir. Finansal tabloların işletmenin finansal durumunu, finansal performansını ve nakit akışlarını gerçeğe uygun olarak sunması gereklidir. Kural olarak standartlara uygunluk, bilgilerin gerçeğe uygun şekilde açıklanması için yeterlidir; ancak bu uygunluk gerçek durumunu yansıtmıyorsa standartlar uygulanmayabilecektir. Finansal tablolar bilanço, döneme ait kar veya zarar ve diğer kapsamlı gelir tablosu, özkaynak değişim tablosu, nakit akış tablosu, önemli muhasebe politikalarını ve diğer açıklayıcı bilgileri içeren dipnotlardan oluşur. Bilanço, işletmenin hazırlandığı tarih itibariyle varlık, yükümlülük ve özkaynaklarını gösteren finansal tablodur. İşletmenin sahip olduğu her türlü malvarlığı unsuru veya katlandığı her sorumluluk bilançoda muhasebeleştirilemez. Bunun için standartlarda sayılan koşulları taşımaları gerekmektedir. Bilanço dışındaki diğer finansal tablolar, ya bilançonun hazırlanması açısından birer araçtır ya da bilançonun tamamlayıcısıdır. Tabloların içeriğinde yer alan bilgilerin birbiriyle ilişkisi, bunların bir bütün olarak değerlendirilmesi gerektiğini ortaya koymaktadır. Finansal tabloların tutulmasının yönetim kurulu, denetim ve genel kurul açısından hukuki sonuçları bulunmaktadır. Yönetim kurulu finansal tabloları hazırlar ve genel kurula sunar. Bununla birlikte, denetim finansal tablolar esas alınarak yapılacaktır. Buna bağlı olarak, denetçi şirket hakkında denetim raporunu oluşturacaktır. Genel kurul, denetimden geçmiş finansal tablolara dayanarak şirkete ve yönetim kuruluna ilişkin kararlar alacaktır. In this study, the legal results arising from the functions, types, regulation and retention of the financial statements are examined. Financial statements are a structured representation of the financial position and financial performance of an entity. These tables provide information on the financial position of the company. Financial statements are especially significant for foreign investors to trust companies and make investment decisions. In this context, the fifth paragraph of the general justification of the Turkish Commercial Code (TCC) aims to be a part of international markets. In order to reach the target, it is necessary to arrange the financial statements according to international standards. The Public Oversight, Accounting and Auditing Standards Authority has been appointed to ensure adequate regulation to reach the target. The regulations made by the institution consist of translation of international accounting standards and are not sufficient. No bridge could be established between the TCC and the accounting practice. Within the scope of the regulations in the field of trade and tax law, two different applications are carried out. Financial statements shall present fairly the financial position, financial performance and cash flows of an entity. As a rule, compliance with standards is sufficient for the information to be truthfully disclosed; however, if this compliance does not reflect the actual situation of the company, the standards may not apply. The financial statements comprises balance sheet, a statement of profit or loss and other comprehensive income for the period, a statement of changes in equity, a statement of cash flow, notes, comprising significant accounting policies and other explanatory information. The balance sheet is the financial statement showing the assets, liabilities and equity of the entity. Any asset that the entity owns or any liability that it endures cannot be recognized in the balance sheet. For this, they must meet the requirements listed in the standards. Other financial statements, other than the balance sheet, are either tools for the preparation of the balance sheet or complementary to the balance sheet. For this reason, the relationship between the information contained in the content of the tables suggests that they should be evaluated as a whole. The holding of the financial statements has legal consequences for the board of directors, auditing and general assembly. The Board of Directors shall prepare the financial statements and present them to the General Assembly. However, the audit will be performed on the basis of financial statements. Accordingly, the auditor will establish an audit report on the company. The General Assembly shall take decisions regarding the company and the board of directors on the basis of audited financial statements."

The Companies Income Tax Act provides the architecture for corporate income taxation (CIT) in Nigeria. It specifies the rate, the tax base and contains the bulk of the incentives to which qualified corporate taxpayers are entitled. This thesis investigates the influence of incentives on the compliance behaviour of micro and small companies (MSCs) in Nigeria. By Nigeria’s standard, these are companies which: (1) employ between 1 to 49 persons and/or own assets (excluding land and building) valued at less than NGN 100million; or (2) are either private limited companies or one-man businesses. In the context of the Nigerian tax system, MSCs are corporate taxpayers with turnover of less than NGN 200 million. This choice of research population is a consequence of the globally acknowledged niche occupied by MSCs vis-à-vis the of the socio-economic objectives of any state. In the course of the study, the formulated research questions were resolved using a multi-stage mixed methods framework which allowed for the fusion of qualitative and quantitative epistemology as well as facilitated the introduction of pragmaticism into the research process. The thesis, inter alia, identified gaps in the administrative regime of CIT incentives in Nigeria and highlighted the fact that they have the potential to introduce uncertainty into the tax system. In addition, it revealed that the regulatory regime for the role and services of tax intermediaries within the tax system, in terms of current standards and reality, is sub-optimal. On the basis of a survey of a small sample of MSCs, it was concluded that the influence of tax intermediaries with regard to the compliance behaviour of MSCs was marginal. Reason for this was traced to the fact that the role and services of the latter vis-à-vis clients who are MSCs are actuated by variables which are within the psycho-social space of the tax intermediairies and the desires/requests of the MSC. This dismisses, in the context of Nigeria, the notion that the tax intermediary is the initator of every tax dodge. Based on the findings, the thesis, inter alia, recommended a re-orientation in the conceptualisation of tax compliance as the prevailing theoretical premise for the extant tax law and policy does not contemplate that non-economic factors and referents outside the realm of taxation are capable of influencing tax compliance behaviour. In addition, recommendations with the capacity to change the law, policy and administrative regime relating to CIT incentives as well as the role and services provided by tax intermediaries were made after an examination of the situation in Kenya and South Africa.

Dans la zone de l’Union économique et monétaire ouest-africaine (UEMOA), la construction d’une courbe des taux sans risque est un objectif pour les décideurs publics. En effet, elle permet d’accompagner les mutations réglementaires actuelles, ainsi que le processus de développement du marché financier régional (MFR). En s’appuyant sur les conclusions de Gbongué et Planchet (2015) et Gbongué (2019), nous proposons une nouvelle méthodologie de construction de la courbe des taux sans risque, adaptée aux particularités de cette zone, dans l’optique de réduire les erreurs d’estimation de la valeur théorique des obligations souveraines. Notons qu’elle s’appuie sur les fondamentaux du modèle de Nelson et Siegel, dans le but de faciliter la prévision de cette courbe dans le futur.

The modernisation of customs regulations and practices involves a process of transformation aimed at boosting the capacity of customs agencies so that they can respond more efficiently to the ever-changing trade environment. In the context of this study, the transformation referred to is changes and adaptations of the institutional, structural, legal, practical, and managerial aspects of revenue collectors’ work. Several global changes in international trade prompted the World Customs Organization (WCO), an international customs body, to pilot projects for the modernisation of customs in order to adapt the approach of this administration to the various changes occurring in the field. These changes relate to the increasing volume of world trade, technological advances, the transformation of businesses models and the steady rise in criminal activities and security threats. The modernisation of customs with the WCO's guidance and support entails inviting and empowering member states of the WCO to align their customs regulations and practices with international standards. Customs modernisation became a topic of interest and started gaining worldwide attention when international trade experienced unprecedented changes coupled with technological advances. This has opened debates around issues relating to globalisation, such as the lowering and removal of trade barriers. There is also a necessity to ensure that customs authorities have sufficient strategic controlover imported and exported commodities. It has become imperative for all states to improve their competitiveness in customs through the revision of regulations which give rise to burdensome practices and procedures. The removal of cumbersome legislative provisions and practices will ensure an increment of efficiency in customs processes.Customs modernisation differs in developed, developing or under-developed states. Hence, the approach to customs modernisation differs from one jurisdiction to another. While some states embrace customs modernisation, others are unable, unwilling or merely reluctant to do so. There are different reasons for the variation in states’ attitudes towards customs modernisation. These attitudes are reflective of the political and economic realities prevailing in each state. Some states are open to customs modernisation but lack the financial and structural resources necessary to be vii able to engage in such modernisation. Others are plagued by corrupt syndicates which employ all the means at their disposal to defend their manipulation of customs authorities.This study analyses the modernisation of customs regulations and practices in France, South Africa and Cameroon. These jurisdictions have different economic powers, are located in different geo-economic zones, and differ in their capacity to implement customs modernisation. The study examines how the respective states incorporate modernisation into their daily customs operations, as recommended by the WCO, of which they are all member states. The study further analyses the impact of customs modernisation on the fight against customs offences in the three jurisdictions.Changes in international trade have both positive and negative impacts on customs. The negative impacts include changes in the forms and increases in the frequency of customs offences. Customs offences are breaches or attempted breaches of customs laws. States suffer financial loss, and these illegal activities threaten their security. The benefits that accrue to businesses and the quality of their products are also challenged by these unlawful behaviours. In addition, the health and safety of citizens are imperilled by customs offences such as the illicit import of counterfeit, sub-standard and dangerous goods and substances. Irrespective of their nature, customs offences have negative impacts on society.To limit and mitigate the adverse effects of customs offences on society and revenue collection, there is a need for strategic customs administrations that embrace technology and modernisation in general. France, South Africa and Cameroon have modernised their customs administrations. While these countries have incorporated the WCO conventions and tools in their respective environments, the impact of the incorporation on customs offences, in general, can be inferred from the simple implementation of these instruments and tools. vii able to engage in such modernisation. Others are plagued by corrupt syndicates which employ all the means at their disposal to defend their manipulation of customs authorities.This study analyses the modernisation of customs regulations and practices in France, South Africa and Cameroon. These jurisdictions have different economic powers, are located in different geo-economic zones, and differ in their capacity to implement customs modernisation. The study examines how the respective states incorporate modernisation into their daily customs operations, as recommended by the WCO, of which they are all member states. The study further analyses the impact of customs modernisation on the fight against customs offences in the three jurisdictions.Changes in international trade have both positive and negative impacts on customs. The negative impacts include changes in the forms and increases in the frequency of customs offences. Customs offences are breaches or attempted breaches of customs laws. States suffer financial loss, and these illegal activities threaten their security. The benefits that accrue to businesses and the quality of their products are also challenged by these unlawful behaviours. In addition, the health and safety of citizens are imperilled by customs offences such as the illicit import of counterfeit, sub-standard and dangerous goods and substances. Irrespective of their nature, customs offences have negative impacts on society.To limit and mitigate the adverse effects of customs offences on society and revenue collection, there is a need for strategic customs administrations that embrace technology and modernisation in general. France, South Africa and Cameroon have modernised their customs administrations. While these countries have incorporated the WCO conventions and tools in their respective environments, the impact of the incorporation on customs offences, in general, can be inferred from the simple implementation of these instruments and tools.

Transfer pricing manipulation is a worldwide problem which results in a massive loss of revenue which is meant to finance government socio-economic programmes. South Africa is not immune to this problem. South Africa is losing billions of Rands in tax revenue due to this scourge. This research is an attempt to find ways and means which can be employed to combat or control the problem. In order to find the envisaged solutions, this research investigates the causes of the problem by analysing the weaknesses and the strong points of the arm’s length principle which is the basis of transfer pricing practice in South Africa and elsewhere. The research also investigates and analyses the corporate reasons for Multinational Enterprises (MNEs) to engage in transfer pricing with a view to demonstrating that transfer pricing is a neutral tax avoidance concept if it is applied for genuine business considerations. The investigation also entails analysing the legal framework of transfer pricing in South Africa which is embodied in section 31 of the Income Tax Act 58 of 1962. The research analyses the efficacy of section 31 in dealing with the sophisticated transfer pricing manipulation schemes. In addition, an extensive reference to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Transfer Pricing Guidelines is made as South Africa relies heavily on the guidelines. A comparative analysis of selected topics is also conducted with the United States (US) and India with a view to drawing lessons from those jurisdictions. Based on the outcome of the analysis and the lessons drawn from the comparative analysis, findings are presented followed by legislative proposals or recommendations which will help to eradicate the problem. It is hoped that implementation of the recommendations taking into account the socio-economic conditions of South Africa will help to deal with the problem.

By the time the founding fathers of the Organization for the Harmonization of Business Law in Africa (OHADA) signed the Treaty of Port Louis, the financial markets in Western and Central Africa were embryonic. Nowadays the situation has changed and it seems appropriate to reconsider relationship between OHADA law and securities exchange markets. Indeed, OHADA's Community legislation has to deal with the securities markets covered and serve both the proper functioning of the market and the protection of investors. The uniform Act on Commercial Companies and Economic Interest Groupings contains provisions referring to specific financial rules. However, is this sufficient to earn the public trust? Financial market law is a complex discipline. If we supplement this the effort required for investors to find their way between the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) or the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC) stock exchange law and national constraints throughout OHADA, the following question must be asked: How is the investor's interest protected in this legal jungle? This paper tries to analyse the legal mechanisms of investor protection in the WAEMU Regional Stock Exchange and the Central African Stock Exchange, combining them with the uniform law for commercial companies of OHADA.