By Hjoe Moono
Where was ZRA last 3 years?
Yesterday Tuesday 23rd September 2014 the nation was treated to a shock when the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) besieged the Post Newspaper’s premises with the aim of grounding the newspaper for purportedly owing the government huge sums of money in tax revenues from 2011. Let’s be real here, this is the usual witch-hunt by the authorities using established structures.
We say it’s a witch hunt because we wonder where the ZRA was for 3 years to collect taxes from the Post newspaper when poor women in our community markets are taxed effectively by the ZRA through various taxes on a daily basis. For three years now the Post has been the active partner to the PF and its governance system and yes, now we know the kickbacks it was receiving was through tax relief for three years. Clearly that explains why the once independent paper curled its tail between its legs as it was fed ‘tax relief’ or ‘no tax payment’ and failed to report accurately, in the time of dire need, the governance and economic challenges that faced the nation. Rather, excited with the tax relief, it went from ‘Michael’ this to ‘Michael’ that, ‘Only Michael here’ to ‘Only Michael there’ etc.
The Post Newspapers hypocrisy
Fallen out of favour with the regime, sane Zambians definitely found it strange for the Post to claim they did not benefit anything from the PF’s government. Well then, now we know that clearly these were lies aimed at gaining the nation’s sympathy after ignoring them for three years of being in bed with what they now suddenly term as a ‘Corrupt and Tribalistic Clique’, the same ‘Clique’ they ‘helped put in power’. Oh what garbage! What hogwash! Talk of hypocrisy, ingratitude and insincerity, this is the apex if it! For three years you do not pay tax, carry on as if all is well, expand your business with the government, get preferential transport deals etc and then claim that ‘We did not benefit anything from the PF’, really? Who are you trying to fool? If a katemba pays tax to ZRA on a daily basis, what should be special about the Post newspaper? Clearly they abused and benefited from being close to the power corridors, and if the harvest time has come, let them give Ceasar what is due to Ceasar.
We have seen the abuse of the ZRA by the authorities over and over from the MMD times to now PF. The abuse of ZRA by the politics is constant, only targets change. We saw a while ago how, under Rupiah Banda’s MMD GBM’s business was suddenly slapped with a huge tax bill upon his throwing support to the PF from the MMD. Suddenly he owed ZRA huge sums of money and had almost his Luanshya Road business premises closed by the ZRA. We also saw, not long ago how the PF, his own party and government, offloaded his trucks loaded with FRA maize for distribution over his disagreement with the president regarding the Chitimukulu issue. Where was the Post during this time? It was dining with the inner circle, expanding its business into the trucking business and getting preferential contracting, yet not paying tax. To the Post, all was well, there was no ‘Corrupt and Tribalistic Clique’, perhaps rightly so, the ‘Cartel’ was in charge!
Abuse of ZRA by politicians
We do not support the abuse of the ZRA by the political system to fight perceived enemies. This is retrogressive to business and robs the nation of valuable businesses on which many people live on noting the high levels of unemployment in the nation. That the ZRA only realized the tax irregularities with the Post three years later and after a few critiques from the once PF friendly paper is regrettable, and tells us a lot about the inefficiency of our tax system. If an enterprise like the Post Newspaper could get away with such for three years, we can only imagine how much money remain uncollected from big and sophisticated enterprises such as the mines. Clearly there is need to improve the way we run our tax system and make it more efficient.
We are convinced that the ZRA’s act of yesterday was at the instruction of the powers that be aimed at clamping down perhaps their perceived strongest enemy noting a weak opposition. As it is said in the intelligence circles: He that changes the mood of the nation towards you can change it against you. With the overwhelming coverage the PF rode onto victory in 2011, they legitimately have to be wary of the Post newspaper indeed, and with their prime link, Wynter Kabimba out of the power circles, clearly there is nothing more for the Post, and the government ought to worry about what may soon be unleashed, unless of course they dangle ‘tax relief’ again and have the Post positively sing ‘Chikwanda this, Chikwanda that, Chikwanda here, Chikwanda there’, like they know best.
We can perhaps say the Post went into the PF’s partnership filled with greed and vengeance with the aim of ‘fixing’ RB’s MMD. Without precaution, excitedly so, the Post went into ‘live’ encounters with the PF, then suddenly they realise that the PF is infested with a ‘Corrupt and Tribalistic Clique’ whatever that means, but alas, its harvest time, and now are in line for the kill.
Do not bite the finger that feeds you. Clearly the Post has been feeding off the PF government, and like a huge blood sucking tick, they have been sucking government revenue by failing to remit required legal taxes that are vital to developing the nation. The government, on the other hand should not play to the gallery by the sudden ‘realisation’ when they deliberately allowed the Post to carry on without paying taxes. Two acts of wrongs cannot yield one right.
Let the showdown begin.
