Officers from the Zambia Revenue Authority this morning raided the privately owned Post Newspapers and served the newspaper with a K6, 954, 911.75 warrant of distress.
And the Post Newspaper has accused State House of using the ZRA in an attempt the fix the publication which is now critical of the PF administration.
The Post Newspaper said this is confirmed by the fact that even the media was being informed by State House about their coming to its offices on Bwinjimfumu and mobilised to cover the event.
It said there is no doubt politics is at play in this matter.
Below is the Press Release issued by the Post Newspaper:
For immediate release
At 08:00 hours this morning, Zambia Revenue Authority officers invaded Post Newspapers Limited offices along Bwinjimfumu Road in the company of a number of armed police officers. They served a warrant of distress on the newspaper for an amount of K6, 954,911.75, demanding that to be paid immediately. They claim this amount comprises of late payment penalties and interest. These amounts have never been brought to our attention before and the demand to which they claim they relate was settled a long time ago.
Although we paid the K26 million they had demanded, we had disagreements over the way the penalties and interest they had made us pay were calculated and there is numerous communications from our side to this effect asking for reconciliation.
They have never discussed this figure with us; all they bring to us today is a warrant of distress in the amount of K6, 954,911.75.
This is difficult to understand. Our only and simple explanation is that they are simply out to fix us. And this is confirmed by the fact that even the media was being informed by State House about their coming to our offices and mobilised to cover the event. There is no doubt politics is at play in this matter.
This is also accompanied by a demand notice of K9,969,483.29, which they claim comprises of K1,202,387.32 VAT and K8, 767, 095.97 Pay As You Earn, inclusive of penalties and interest. We do not owe ZRA any such amounts on VAT. Our VAT account is up to date and their figures are wrong.
On the outstanding amounts on Pay As You Earn, we have brought to their attention that as a result of the K26 million demanded, which we paid our wage bill fell behind in terms of payments.
And this meant that our Pay As You Earn was also going to fall behind because Pay As You Earn is a withholding tax, which should be paid on a paid basis. They do not agree with this view. They hold the view that Pay As You Earn should be paid on an accrual basis.Clearly, there is a dispute here that needs to be resolved.
There is an attempt to cook up figures and make it look as if The Post owes the Zambia Revenue Authority a lot of money, despite the fact that over the last 11 months, we have paid the Zambia Revenue Authority over K40 million.
Last week, there was a judgment in the High Court over the judicial review matter we had brought. This matter was resolved in their favour, but we decided to appeal and applied for a stay. The court has given Monday, November 9, 2015 as the day for inter parte hearing. They could not even wait for that hearing and they have swung into action against us. What does this mean? This is where things stand and the interpretation is simple.
Rowena Zulu
General Manager – Finance
So sad, they do not know that its not only membe who depend on this, there are a lot of employees with families and i hope the government will employ them if the paper goes under.
Lungu`s days are numbered.
I thought Zambia is a country of laws, why not just take the post to court.? To Mr. M’membe , do not throw stones if you live in a glass house, this is how Nchito and yourself treated others.
You are even confessing that I quote “And the Post Newspaper has accused State House of using the ZRA in an attempt the fix the publication which is NOW critical of the PF administration.” (sic). You were not reporting negatively about the PF govt so as to escape paying taxes?? Lol. But yet you have given a number of people headaches because of biased reporting. Days have caught up with you. You have to pay.
Tax evasion is very serious offence and in countries like America, you go to jail. If me the ordinary worker can pay my taxes promptly, why should Mmembe and the Post evade tax? There is no malice or politics here, let him just pay afterall he has pegged his useless paper at K10 to try and influence others to do the same.
By the way, why has ZRA been so lenient with Mmembe and the Post? Taxes are mandatory and all of us in formal employment are obliged to pay. ZRA, do it not only on the Post but to every defaulting organisation.
In America, super stars who evaded tax have gone bankrupt once the authorities learn of it and Zambia is no exception.
@UFO, ZRA was lenient with him because he was in “bed” PF.
Last kicks of a dying horse, Lungu kuya bebele. This is just a waste of time and resources, the Post will come out of this as usual completely and totally unscathed. We have real issues at hand as a nation, stop being seelly and quit wasting time Mr Jameson.
Your press release is directed to the wrong people. If you think people like or will fight for Mmembe and The Post, you would better think twice. Mmembe is a vindictive troll who has no respect or loyalty to anyone. I wouldn’t spit on him if he were on fire!
Ba Jeko there is nothing illegal about what SARS has done. It is within the law. Its Goodbye Past newspapers now
Over the last 11 months, we have paid the Zambia Revenue Authority over K40 million.
@UFO, you have just contradicted yourself in that statement. Unlike America that you so passionately allude to, Zambia is a country of odds. We have serving politicians who have defaulted on loans, fraudsters who have been pardoned and delinquents who are only brought to book when they fall out of favor of the party in power (yes, you heard right – government is no longer what is should be – it is a tool of political parties). Until we take politics out of government and people’s livelihoods we will continue along this very ludicrous path. Watch the cookie crumble, meantime.
I thought Zambia is a country of laws, why not just take the post to court.? To Mr. M’membe , do not throw stones if you live in a glass house, this is how Nchito and yourself treated others.
Jeko there is nothing illegal about what SARS has done. It is within the law. Its Goodbye Past newspapers now
The government is very broke, Christmas is around the corner, Kwacha is having an forex exchange diarrhea and their Budget deficit is too huge to manage, SIMPLE! A lot is at stake in Zambia and is can make leaders easily go wild. So take care you will come out clean soon.
You cant keep on insulting the president and expect a soft touch. Ulemwenako mambala.
If someone says that this ass.hole that is supposed to be the president is a complete and total id.iot he is not insulting him, HE IS JUST TELLING THE TRUTH!
The facts speak for themselves. Clear for anyone with the smallest of brains to see.
Obviously your mental quota is deficient.
LET THE LAW TAKE ITS OWN COARSE. NO ONE SHOULD BE TREATED TO BE ABOVE THE LAW. IF POST NEWSPAPER IS OWING THE STATE MONEY, LET IT PAY THE STATE ALL THE MONEY OWED. THIS IS A CLEAR AND STRAIGHT FORWARD ISSUE. VIVA SERIOUS WORK VIVA!
Please, just pay ba Membe,
If you live in aglass house dont throw stones, and if yiou cant take blows don throw blows.
Yes it is a country of laws, and the law is being followed
Whether you agree with the Post or not must not be the issue for their persecution. The problem in zambia is we are very quick to give tax holidays to foreigners and we persecute our very own. I may not agree with whatever the the Post does but harassing them at this time when every company is struggling is an affront to our God given rights to self governance. I know PF cadres will crucify me whilst UPND will like my post but all I want to state is this has nothing to do with politics or who is involved. All I am saying is this wrong timing. Load shedding and interest rates, currency devaluation are all factors rendering the economic down turn in Zambia. Please ECL allow the families the Post is supporting through various initiates to survive. The people who will sleep hungry is Not…
I am a UPND supporter and I don’t agree with you on this one mainly because the Post is not independent in it’s reporting. They made their bed and now they have to lie in it….. I have read somewhere that the Post have been buying helicopters, cars etc for Rainbow party for the tripartite campaigns / elections. It’s obvious they are sponsoring a political party or rather they are a political party so let them “render to Caesar the things that are Caeser’s”.
After all, they haven’t even been paying their employees since God knows.
thats where the problem with people like pretty, you start ‘mixing’ issues. we are not talking about the Post buying and associating itself with Rainbow party but the actions of the government. you are making your judgement on this case with another issue clouding your judgement. now if they were supporting PF or UPND what would you say? subjectivity instead of objectivity is the key here.
@ine wine, am looking at the issue in it’s totality. You are too narrow-minded. Not surprised when you have a name as “ine wine”.
They aren’t paying taxes but yet they have been using “the same monies” to fund a political party. For example, you decide not to pay your rent and use the money on something else like beer, women. When you are evicted won’t you have to account to you wife / hubby where you took the money? Exactly. The PF govt. knows where the Post is taking ZRA monies. So there!!!
ZRA has been very lenient with the post newspaper. The post has been invading tax all along and we cant say this is political no. This matter is before the court and the high court ruled in favour of ZRA.What is so special about Mmembe Let him eat his vomit.
Everything has time. Time to enjoy and time to mourn, time to be born and time to die. The post is simply going through one of these phases.
Is this in addition to the DBZ loan which they haven’t paid yet?.
Rowena Zulu. You know that you are supposed to pay your taxes so why did you neglect to pay ZRA? There’s no persecution here! Just fulfill your legal obligations and not give us illogical explanations!
The question is, do they owe Zra or not? I run a company and pay my tax obligations every month. What’s so special about the Post? Pay up or shut down
These Post pple are really scandalous, they have no strengths their only strength which they use to attack pple including the innocent ones is their news paper. Now what goes up must come down. Time to mourn and time to laugh, time to play and time to be sick thus what the bible tells us in the book of Proverbs.
Fred & the Post have alot to learn from this.They put PF in power.They insulted every one who was not PF.Fred called us names.The mediocrity we’re seeing now started with Sata.
Fred & the Post have alot to learn from this.They put PF in power.They insulted every one who was not PF.Fred called us names.The mediocrity we’re seeing now started with Sata.
what is so difficult with paying taxes ba post? pantu m’membe if it were some else in the post newspaper’s shoes, we would wake up with a negative headline flashing in our faces about how they are getting away with not paying! just pay your taxes bane, like the majority do monthly and faithfully. Don’t just preach morals to others, day in and day out, first clean your house, so that you will be reporting properly and in any manner and with confidence and leading by example.
This guy needs to go into archives where he belongs. If people dont know fred is the one who put an erasable tribal tag on hh. Today hh and his cronies are blindly supporting fred for the sake of coverage in the post instead of them concentrating on how they should shed off the tribal tag. Its this same tag which zambians have kept on rejecting hh.
A point of correction sir. The Post and HH are still enemies. Actually the Post has not covered HH since 2012 when HH stormed their offices to complain about negative coverage. Today HH is blessed because Mmembe and the Post have left him alone. Get your facts right sir. I’ve very much against my will avoided insulting you over this stupid comment of yours.
@Kashimba Chimbwili, the Post may have left HH alone, but they’ve caused some damage. They don’t report negatively on HH because they the Post and HH are in the same boat.
Days have caught up with the Post. They are ashamed and have been humiliated and they deserve both.
There is time for everything Bo Mmembe…give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar ….. ! Yes politics is at play here but you owe us bwana in taxes. We want that money to build roads and for campaigns also…. to buy chibuku for our cadres….. 2016 ni next month chabe!
ZAMTEL and ZESCO must also take the government to court for unsettled bills in the billions.The parastatals belong to the people.If paid up,the funds can be used to build more power stations,stop loadsheding and reduce the cost of electricity.But the average Zambian is short sighted or completely blind to this.Keep on with your fasting and prayers while other get richer with corruption….just my 2 ngwee…
IF MY SALARY IS BEING SQUEEZED OF TAX AND LEAVING ME BLEEDING,WAT Z SO SPECIAL BOUT MMEMBE HU BOT 4 CHOPPERS AND 65 TRUCKS FOR RAINBAOW PARTY WHILE HZ EMPLOYEES HAVE GONE 7 MONTHS WITHOUT PAY.
@km, Thank you for bringing that up i.e. buying choppers and truck for Rainbow party. They are using money intended for taxes on a political party. ZRA should, therefore, squeeze this money out of them.
What goes round comes back around. Ifyakulya ubushiki bafimwena kumalushi (dark corner meetings are exposed in bare light). To all those that have maliciously been scheming to hurt the Zambians because PF in Government, God will openly expose them of their hidden agendas and who they have ganged up with to destabilize our economy.
How do you accuse State House when court judgement was in the papers? Just pay up?
@Luapua Premier here am with the govt. The Post just have to “cough out” the money.
Inter Parte hearing will resolve everything. Also, ZRA must allow for reconciliation of figures because already there is a dispute over the figures. If the Post is found to be owing, a payment plan must be drawn and it’s that simple. Closing the Post Newspaper will not help anybody but simply will add to the economical challenges we are currently experiencing. Job loses and reduced national revenue.
Ba Rowena why has it taken this long for you to argue your case?
Where are your lawyers?
You knew how ZRA and similar bodies in the world operate. Why did you discuss issues with them?
No amount of explanation will exculpate The Post, why did they allow the tax to accumulate! Just pay the taxes or face the music! Even a tomato Saler , a saloon owner pay taxes on a monthly basis! So what is special about Mmembe, this is why he wants at al costs ECL to be removed from State house so that a puppet who will close the eyes on the moneys owned to GRZ can rule!
@ Hammer
Mmembe must be reminded in very clear terms that Zambians are not studp1dy as he may wish to think. This man hates President Lungu for no apparent reason and everyone knows this. ZRA is the heart of our economy and hence it needs to be pumping pure blood in the system.
I expect to see the opposition support this noble cause without reservations! Nawakwi, do you have anything to say in this case? HH, give credit to ECL for once iwe!
Moreover, much as balanced information is healthy, this unnecessary negativity from Mmembe and other quotas (opposition) is not good for our country.
Remember whatever wrong you deliberately do today will haunt you in the future, this has been proved everywhere, so be sober in criticizing Government.
Awe sure ba Mmembe balila mutule! Nokusamwa kwiine!
It looks the man has more enemies than friend. The question is; why the whole great number is against and only Kabimba and few others support you? If many pple are talking bout me negatively, then i have to ask myself why?? A well trained journalist with journalistic ethics cannot and will not be reporting about some one 365 and quarter days 24/7 about one Edgar Lungu. What is the heck!
Just imagine, from day one Mmembe only sees wrong in our loveable President Edgar Chagwa Lungu! I stopped buying that s1lly Post paper way back and today Daily Mail is and Nation is my favourite reading.
LT is also balanced in its reporting whoever the owner is.
Very soon you will hear HH singing songs of solidarity that govt should stop tormenting Fred . Those of us who understands HH just sit and laugh at his impis.
Was wondering how this will be covered in the Watchdog.
The Post had lost it’s influence country -wide. Globally influential papers have suffered humiliation and eventual closure. Now the Post is just a tiny tabloid in the remote corner of the world. Few will miss it in Zambia!
DONCHI MALILISHO BA POST.
You were responsible for this P.F coming to power, & while you were the best of buddies, & they treated others unfairly, your believed they were the best thing since sliced bread.
What has changed?? Get on with it, Atase’!!
Remember if you keep a baby serpent in your house, don’t be surprised it bites, once those fangs mature.
Iwe Democrat 1. Do you follow these things or just comment randomly? The Pest Newspaper had agreed a payment plan with ZRA which they failed to adhere to because they felt their nuts were bigger than government’s. So what’s happening to them now is well deserved
This action is politically motivated. The intention is to silence the Post. Zambia needs the Post. Imagine how many wrong things will go unreported without a critical private media? The Post lost direction, but now it has found its bearings. Zambian politicians are very deceitful. They need to be checked.
@ k bwalya
Am sure iwe tauli mubemba! Do you still even look at the Post? I think that K10 you are enriching Mmembe daily can better be used cumulatively to support that grandma or child out there with no one to look after them, just advising!
A few weeks ago FAZ was visited by ZRA and no one said anything, Let Mmembe just pay up
@kay….. that was a good one. FAZ is boriiiing. lol.
Nasty comments against the President everyday, meanwhile he has been evading Tax, Very cheeky Basta*d.
This Post has lamentably failed to meet repayment obligations and they are surprised that they are raided…its only in Zambia that you mess with Tax Authorities …try this elsewhere and you will will locked up and your assets confiscated and when you come out the same people ask for any outstanding balances.
Pay your debts you can’t have it both way!!
Am shocked today, Is it that you hate mmembe so much that No one has supported him on this issue ? Am happy this issue has not been politicized by all posting comments. Lets do this even in other national developmental issues by bringing out points instead of insults. Thanks to all.
@viakulolavye, you’ve made me laugh…
@ viakulolavye
Do to others as you would want them do to you. Mmembe is a danger to Zambia’s well being and even the temporal economic turmoil we are seeing today is mostly because of his hatred on an innocent President Lungu and PF Government. Remember God has answered our prayers and this is just the beginning of good things and tidings for the PF and President Lungu. Umufimbila tawawama iyo!
Let President Lungu take this country to great heights because he is capable and able!
@Rowena should be a very dull finance manager, who told her that if salaries are in arrears then even statutory obligations i.e. PAYE & NAPSA should be in arrears? No, that is very weird statement coming from a General manager in charge of finance who should know better! Statutory obligations falls due when the pay day is reached; and is payable within the next 14 days for PAYE and 10 days for NAPSA! Not the nonsense you are trying to peddle. Moreover ZRA is quite flexible to companies that are genuinely facing liquidity issues and present their issues to the authority (ZRA). Mostly in such instances a flexible payment plan is devised so as to reach a win-win situation. Not just sitting arrogantly in your offices and expect ZRA to keep quite. In fact Membe should fire this so called…
The Post has no excuse here. In western countries, that would have been the end of this paper. But this is Africa, I am sure they will allow him to pay and continue doing his business. This is not politicks, but rule of law.
AT LAST ARROGANT MMEMBE AND HIS YELLOW PAPER HAS BEEN SORTED OUT.
IT IS A PITY SOME ZAMBIANS READ HIS DAILY VOMIT WHICH MASQUARADES AS NEWS. MMEMBE HAS BEEN SPEWING HATRED FOREVER AND A DAY. MEANWHILE HE THINKS HE IS ABOVE THE LAW AND CAN INVOKE MALICIOUS INTENT ON THE PART OF GOVT AND YET LIKE THE DEVIL HE IS HE MALIGNS THE PRESIDENT EVERY DAY.
GOOD RIDDANCE.
Just an analogy: Once a ‘noisy’ dog in the neighbourhood was killed. Neighbours celebrated and assured themselves they would sleep peacefully. Days later thieves struck, and stole their property. Always be careful in what you celebrate!
#Bee Esi. Your analog is misrepresented sir. There are several other media fronts watching over government. As others have already pointed out, ZRA’s move is worth supporting here.
I am surprised that people are even debating this issue. My salary is subjected to PAYE every month ever since I joined the labour force and I have never complained. What is so special about the Post? They must pay tax like all of us in the formal sector do. There is nothing political about fulfilling your tax obligations.
Comment:FAZ was also raided for tax evasion.was it political?,
Comment:fred mmembe is a merciless devil who cares for no one.he deserves it.
Comment:The problem with mmembe he thinks our president is the worst sinner in the world and only him and his family are righteous look at his editorial comments very pathetic a journalist is to inform the public not to judge
. the way he comes out in his most fake stories its like him is perfect the day this guy will die zambias will celebrate.pay tax and repeant
Ba Mmembe, please just pay what you owe and don’t make noise. Remember there is still another sum you owe DBZ and former employees of Zambian Airways.
Bwezani nkongole
If they are buying planes to prepare for 2016,surely they should pay tax.I don’t like hypocrites like the post.They use their ka paper to scandalize and humiliate innocent Zambians…….the earlier the ka paper is closed the better for this country.In 2016,I would rather vote for PF or UPND and not the Cartel party/newspaper.They think they are untouchables…..please deal with them now.
Mmembe thinks he has monopoly to knowledge and wisdom by always criticizing others daily in his newspaper and today he wants to cry foul for failure to pay tax ! This is very shameful indeed.Imagine it was a company for ECL or RB which has defaulted,a three paged commentary was going to be written on the issue tonight.God has exposed them…….white washed tombs and yet inside its rotten bones !