9bn/- collected at TRA as container owners pay up

KATARE MBASHIRU

Acting Commissioner General (CG) of TRA, Dr Philip Mpango.

AS the deadline for owners of containers fraudulently cleared from the Dar es Salaam Port approaches, Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) has said about 9bn/- had been collected by the end of business.

The errant tax defaulters have until Friday this week to surrender before TRA headquarters to clear their dues before appropriate legal actions are instituted against them.

Speaking at a news conference at TRA headquarters in Dar es Salam, TRA Acting Commissioner General, Dr Philip Mpango, said the amount that has so far been collected had increased by 2.9bn/- in a period of five days since December 2. At the same time, the TRA top boss suspended Deputy Commissioner for Customs and Excise Patrick Mugoya over the same syndicate pending investigations into his conducts.

Prior to his suspension, Mr Mugoya had yesterday sent an advertisement published in different local newspapers, insisting that all companies and business people who evaded tax at the port, occasioning loss of government revenue should obtain tax assessment details for settlement at TRA headquarters.

However, the disgraced senior official was sent home few hours later. According to Dr Mpango, as of yesterday, several businesspeople and companies that were in the list of 41 companies that fraudulently cleared their cargo at the port had complied with President John Magufuli’s order to voluntarily surrender to TRA and clear their dues.

The move follows a seven-day ultimatum that the Head of State issued to tax defaulters to come forward willingly to settle their obligations lest they face the wrath of the law. The ultimatum came in the wake of recent revelation that over 349 containers ‘vanished’ from inland container depots (ICDs) without paying requisite duties to the government.

Dr Magufuli sounded the warning at the State House in Dar es Salaam at a meeting with the business community last week. He spoke as the Prime Minister, Mr Kassim Majaliwa, separately revealed that more than 2,400 containers had been cleared from the Dar es Salaam port without paying necessary duties since March 2014.

According to Dr Mpango, the companies that had bowed to Dr Magufuli’s order are S.S. Bakhresa &Co Lt (2bn/-), Tifo Global Trading Co. Ltd (310m/-), IPS Roofing Co. Ltd (80m/-), Red East Building Co. Ltd (100m/-), Zing Enterprises (325.6m/- and Sapato N Kyando (50.5m/).

Last week, TRA recovered over 7bn/- out of colossal amount of outstanding revenue following the disappearance of 349 containers from Inland Container Depots (ICDs) in Dar es Salaam.

The money was collected from Said Salim Bakhresa and Company Limited (2.172bn/), Tuff Tyres Centre Co. Ltd (1bn/-), Binslum Tyres Co Ltd (1.4bn/-) and Kiungani Trading Co. Ltd (506.72m/-).

Dr Mpango said yesterday that TRA and other state machineries was still investigating the conduct of its officials and taking appropriate action against the culprits. “TRA continues reminding all businesspeople who know that they fraudulently cleared their containers to appear before the authority’s offices immediately to settle their bills before they face the music,’’ he said.

According to him, those who will fail to implement the president’s order will face stern legal action, including paying exorbitant fines apart from clearing their debts. The tax watchdog’s boss said he would cooperate with businesspersons who were abiding by the country’s laws, insisting that TRA would ensure that they conduct their business in a peaceful environment.

He further warned TRA officials who were intimidating people in their bid to create room for corruption, saying their days are numbered. “I urge all people to volunteer information on all unscrupulous officials on whenever and wherever they spot any illegal practices.

I assure them that all whistleblowers will be protected under the Whistleblower and Witness Protection Act 2015,” he emphasized