Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) has vowed to collect Taxes highlighted in the Financial Intelligence Centre, report, once the Report is handed to them.
ZRA Corporate Communications Manager Topsy Sikalinda said that, to carry out its mandate, the Authority is yet to receive the report from FIC.
Mr. Sikalinda said that the authority is mandated to collect taxes and will await the fine details of the report to ensure it collects the required taxes if they are collectable.
Mr. Sikalinda said this in a statement released to the media .
The recent revelations by the Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC) revealed that an estimated loss of revenue amounting to 1 billion was lost through tax evasion and possible violations under the Income Tax Act chapter 323 and Customs and Excise Act chapter 322.
The report also highlights that “tax evasion schemes involved individuals or corporation misrepresenting their income to the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA).
Many of the cases analyzed on suspected tax evasion involved small and medium enterprises (SMEs) which are mostly entities either not registered for tax purposes or were not tax compliant.
Below is ZRA’s full statement
For Immediate Release
8th June 2019
ZRA KEEN TO COLLECT TAXES REPORTED IN THE FIC REPORT UPON RECEIVING DETAILS FROM THE CENTRE
The Mandate of the Zambia Revenue Authority is to collect taxes on behalf of the Zambian Government.
We have received a number of press queries related to the FIC report which is in public domain hence our decision to update the nation on this important subject matter.
The recent revelations by the Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC) in the 5th Money Laundering and Terrorist financing Trends report, 2018 are interesting.
The report reveals that there an estimated loss of revenue amounting to 1 billion was lost through tax evasion and possible violations under the Income Tax Act chapter 323 and Customs and Excise Act chapter 322.
The report highlights that “tax evasion schemes involved individuals or corporation misrepresenting their income to the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA). Many of the cases analysed on suspected tax evasion involved small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Most of these entities were either not registered for tax purposes or were not tax compliant”
The report further states that some cases analysed were based on the following:
“Group company loans: some companies externalised funds to their parent companies. The same companies would then receive the funds in form of loans. This reduced their tax liability as interest on the loans received tax relief”.
As an authority mandated to collect these taxes, we await the fine details of this report to ensure we collect the required taxes if they are collectable.
We have not yet received the fine detail of this report and if we receive it, we shall ensure we collect the necessary taxes.
Issued by: Topsy Sikalinda
Corporate Communications Manager
Everyone dragging their feet …all they have to do is simply pick up the phone as a Tax Ofice and call either FIC or ACC or DEC and request for the document but even this is rocket science to them.
He looks a very styupid guy, I don’t drink with such pompous for nothing guys.
@Jay Jay,
Don’t be surprised, you know very well pa Zed, nothing happens without the so-called “ECL Directives”, the concerned agencies are just playing “its a wait and see” game.
They will never pick a phone and call, instead, they are waiting for that call, on what to do next, chapwa.
Zambia yasila.
How do you name your son Topsy ?
FIRST LET’S FIRE THE ZRA COMMISSIONER GENERAL WHO OPENLY ADMITS IN A RECORDED PHONE CONVERSATION THAT THE COUNTRY LOSES MILLIONS IN IMPORT DUTIES THAT ARE WAIVED FOR THE POLITICALLY CONNECTED, AND BY HIM PROTECTING WRONG DOERS – CHINSALI OFFICIALS WHO FACILITATE TAX EVASION AT OUR PORTS OF ENTRY
Yes, how can someone manage to build 49 houses and not pay tax on the income used ???
When a new GRZ that is fighting corruption comes to power, there will surplus of properties. Most of the thieves with lungu are building and buying property to be confiscated.
There will be no shortage of GRZ housing.
This is becoming a bit exasperating. Is FIC issuing reports without the investigative wings getting in on the act beforehand? This aside, isn’t the revenue authority on top of monitoring transactions involving exchange of goods and services especially at a large scale? Or are cash shiploads coming in outside of the banking system? I have a lot of questions. Please apply solutions bane mwe…
So which Reports have the issued? Stop listening to dull deceitful PF lawyers like Lazy Lungu and know the difference between a Trend Report and Financial Intelligence Report…if you want to wait for Investigative wings to act we would be still waiting for 2017 Report.
Mr Topside Sikalinda, did you say fine details or final details of FIC. You got details already as narrated in your report. ZRA should just act now to inspire the alarmed public with the plunder of national resources through corruption.
Thanks ZRA and LAZ for your mature response to the FIC reports! That is what you call leadership, not what we saw and heard from some Jetlagged chap on airport Tarmac! The chap’s utterances confirm he is part of the problem and he should kiss 2021 goodbye and say hello to prison! We’ll not allow our country which is called by the name of God to be turned into a Pompwe Republic by a few gluttons!
Viva FIC!
He is sending Directors to the media houses meanwhile himself LAZY is issuing half baked statements from airport tarmac like a small child excited after bus ride.
Under5s still cant debate intelligently. In the first place they dont even know that FIC was created by PF and for pf to curtail such activities. It not an NGO.
HH is one of the people who are mentioned on tax evasion just wait and see, Paradise papers. Freddy Mmembe thought was untouchable but he is spent grain.
Now this is expected response.collect all our bucks back into the treasury
Progress report, before, during and after FIC report release is helpful in maitaining focus on investigations and prosecution. It is a matter of credibility, honor and integrity. Conflict of interest between various statutory bodies could provide checks and balances. However, any perceived conflict of interest must easily be guided by the High Court and the Constitutional Court. Announcing that a break-in occurred at a given house is positive public information. Whether or not Police will eventually arrest the perpetrators is a different question. If the Police stated that making the break-in announcement was wrong, then that is contradictory and strange. Investigations must benefit from the announcement.
This better and more inspiring that DEC response.