Last year, in an interview with the Voice of America's Amharic Service, Ethiopia Commodity Exchange CEO Eleni Gabre-Madhin told the radio that farmers in Ethiopia do not pay any taxes. "As far as I know, farmers in Ethiopia do not pay taxes " said she. That is not true. According to applicable tax laws, individual farmers and agricultural producer cooperatives with a gross annual earning of as little as Birr 600 (USD35) are required to pay agricultural income tax. Additionally, farmers pay a fixed annual land use tax and variable sales taxes which are indirectly passed on to them by businesses. Below is excerpts from a study titled "Taxation in Ethiopia" published in January 2005 by Ethiopian Chamber of Commerce (ECC) and Ethiopian Business Development Services Network (EBDSN) on behalf of German Technical Cooperation (GTZ) and Partnership Project Rhein-Main Chamber, Germany and ECC (with SEQUA). --- Agricultural Income Tax According to P...