NSSF directed to stop hiring private estate

DAILY NEWS Reporter

Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office (Policy, Parliamentary Affairs, Labour, Employment, Youth and the Disabled) Ms Jenista Mhagama

THE Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office (Policy, Parliament, Labour, Employment, Youth and the Disabled), Ms Jenista Mhagama, has directed the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) to stop hiring private buildings for activities of the fund while it has many buildings countrywide.

Speaking after launching the NSSF Board of Trustees in Dar es Salaam, Ms Mhagama said she had directed the director-general of the pension fund to ensure that it capitalised on its own resources to reduce unnecessary costs.

“I understand that NSSF has many buildings countrywide; so we cannot let it hire private buildings in the course of discharging its duties,’’ she commented, directing the board chair to deal with the matter.

The minister also directed NSSF leaders to repair the buildings that needed partial improvements to save the government from incurring expenses in hiring private houses. She said she would closely follow-up the matter, including taking stringent measures to deal with the matter.

On tax evasion, Ms Mhagama said there were some international companies that were submitting double documents in which the documents of the salaries paid in foreign currencies did not specify payment of the requisite tax.

“The government has started making a follow-up on those big companies. Stringent action will be taken against all those who will be found to be evading tax,’’ she added.

The minister suggested that proper strategies should be put in place to register the majority of Tanzanians who are working in the formal sectors in the pension funds.

NSSF Board of Trustees Chairman, Professor Samwel Wangwe said the fund was running out of money, something that made it difficult in processing payments of members just as it has been happening in many African countries.

According to Prof Wangwe, NSSF was currently with nearly 600,000 members countrywide while Tanzanians who were able and qualified to join the fund were 25,000,000, insisting that serious measures to have them join NSSF were ongoing.

The launch of the NSSF board of trustees was also attended by Ms Mhagama’s two deputies -- Mr Anthony Mavunde and Dr Abdallah Possi.