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.
iwe Hjoe Moono!! dont be a sleepy tonga ala,,,, there are more than two wrongs here!,,,, all tongas i know, know how to count except you,,,,, in this mmembe/ZRA story there are wrongs all over,,,,
moono i will take you back to the village so that you learn how to count cattle
@Ndobo, the problem with Tongas they believe and understand things to be true as it appears. They see reflection on road on a hot October day, they rush their cattle there thinking there is water on the road.
Mmembe attacked Chikwanda and forgot that the PF has been protecting The Post Newspaper. Mmembe ali nyena ku mwela.
@ndobo&Nostradamus: Learn to address the issue or critique the article and stop attacking the Tonga people. That is tribalism.
Some of them were even dishonestly claiming that since Michael Sata became President of our Republic, The Post stopped paying taxes, when the truth is that from September 2011 to this month, The Post has paid K45,858,624.07 in all sorts of taxes, and K20,225,679.61 of this being Pay As You Earn. So what do they mean by saying The Post is not paying taxes? Anyway, they are never ashamed of lying. How else can they live if not with lies, by lies? – By Post Editor (Editorial 24-09-2014)
“On this one, Chikwanda will pay a very high price for his desperation.”
– By Post Editor (Editorial 24-09-2014)
Hjoe Moono is absolutely right to apportion blame on both sides of the argument.
Surely where was ZRA all this time only to start being assertive about tax collection when Mmembe started attacking the snake he nurtured and charmed since 2008?
On the other hand, Mmembe is a stupid wimp, who thought by stealing people’s money through DBZ and avoiding honouring his tax obligation, PF would protect him if he sung praise songs for them. Well he has just learned, that a snake is a snake no matter how much you charm it, it will definately turn against you if don’t kill it first.
Truth be told here; the whole saga about ZRA vs Mmembe is politically motivated. Chikwanda is keen to balance the books on the back of PF critics at any cost.
Mmembe is seating on two hot stones.
I, for the first time agree with this writer. Why is corruption only noticed when one turns enemy of state? Reading the main story in today’s Post edition, I am afraid this war is gonna get really nasty, for both PF and The Post. They are fighting a guy who knows their dirty, but he also is just proving through that phone recording that Chikwanda maybe seeking some morality in his dealings.
I got my popcorn, click play
That particular phone conversation puts Alex on higher ground…the tidbit about the president notwithstanding.
The post does not have a strong leg to stand on.
You miss the Point!!!Collecting tax for the benefit of the public welfare is the DUTY regradless of the political overtone being used as an excuse & a cry of being a victim
So the end justifies the means?
The challenge is not for ZRA to appear to be applying double standards!
The problem here is not wether it is a duty or an obligation to collect tax, but rather whydid the government sleep for 3 years knowing too well that the post was not paying
Give to God what is Gods and to Caesar what is Caesars. Period! forget about claims of victimisation
@ wawa
Lots of wisdom in your contribution. Only one question: in this issue, who is God and who is Caesar?
Indeed the Post should just pay what is due to government. It is due to this level of corruption that has destroyed Zambia. The Post cannot claim they were not aware of what was happening. This was a deliberate move and in their own judgment they thought government will forgive them or write off the debt. We cannot operate like this as a nation. The Post is one type of a newspaper that preaches honest and integrity. Let them just own up and pay taxes due to the republic of Zambia.
MA
London, England
Why was this allowed to go on for three years. There is something fundamentally wrong with this govt
The BATTLE has just begun…!!!!
Tho I DONT concur with Mmembe BUT I will stand to fight ths regime till it controls the messes it has created.
Grandpa is 77yrs & I forgiv him BUT will NEVER be ruled by Nkandu Luo.
Let them tell us what they have been doing in dark corners. Each side is gonna tell us what they know about the other. Sit back and listen.
Animal Fight Club zoona.
It Chikwanda Vs Mmembe…PYEEE-PYEEE the whistle is blown
“If anyone attacks us, and the conditions are
favourable for battle, we will certainly act in
self-defence to WIPE HIM out resolutely,
thoroughly, wholly and completely – we do not
strike rashly, but when we do strike, we must
win. We must never be cowed by the bluster of
such elements”.
Those r Mmembe’s words !!!.
Tiya nayo !!!
I concur. Never known to be a cry baby, Mmembe does fight his battles and does fight them resolutely. It’s the front end others mistake to be the frontline!
So M’membe runs an OP branch that eavesdrops on people and tapes their conversations?!
Stella Libongani, arrest M’membe for espionage on the Government! If you dont take him to jail he will next bring out a recording of a conversation amongst security top brass and Edgar Lungu.
HJOE MOONO…again!
This guy never ceases to amaze me. How does his head and logic work? TWO WRONGS? Which 2 wrongs? It’s just ONE wrong: ZRA going to raid POST Newspapers on political orders! That is wrong. SECONDLY, POST Newspapers have shared with everybody who cares to know their tax remittance statement since 2011. How much more does HJOE MOONO want the Post to do? In stead ZRA wanted to pay $600-million back to the Mines who are already paying almost ZERO tax! Anybody who runs a big company in Zambia knows that there is nothing wrong the POST has done here! They have been paying tax all along up to this very month, and there is a statement to prove. All big business in Zambia lags in terms of tax obligations. ZRA should be careful not to join tribalism. This country can erupt!
and the 12 million mmembe is talking about? it’s a right? you are very backward
Iwe @Chapati read the article first and comprehend it before commenting. I think you just jumped to commenting negatively because you know that the author is Tonga.
This Hjoe Moono you are under rating is a very intelligent fellow who happens to be a respected economics pundit.
You are purely a typical tribalist period.
Maybe its a question of semantics that has eluded you. You can cure that by advancing your education and reading more abstract material out there.
HJOE MOONO is clear demonstration why Tongas are not easy to trust, they always think backwards. Muchinje… Nabalozi anzanu banambo kuonelanimoni. Pamene apa you are dilly-dallying to allocate blame between ZRA and Post Newspapers sure? HJOE MOONO ulibe nzelu. ZRA are using politics to enforce tax laws and that is wrong, there is nothing like two wrongs here. Is it the same logic we should expect from your HH? Delays in meeting tax obligations is common in every economy, infact imwe bambili olo pano pa Lusaka times mupanga mahalf yambili kumafamu natu small-business twanu but you don’t even pay tax. Big businesses always lag behind in tax obligations because of accounting procedures, unless you are running a kantemba. Udalu maningi pa Zambia, ungaluke mwe!
Useless old men caught pants down.!
Mmembe & Chikwanda have no morals to preach about.
Politics in any shape of form, does not lose its tag. It remains politics.
Chikwanda still has more cards up his sleeve, next we will hear DBZ baliffs sending Mmembe a K 28 billion debt note.
Let Mmembe pay his taxes like the rest of us, the problem with him is he thought he owns this country, the faggot!! He forgot where real power laid.
I have never understood the reasoning of our Finance Minister. The government has complained of lack of value addition to copper. They contend that it would be better to export copper products such as cables than raw copper but our Finance Minister issues a statutory instrument to export “soil”. He issues another S.I. on refund of VAT without supporting documents. The Finance Minister is in charge of tax collection through ZRA but decides to only collect tax from the Post when it attacks him. Am I the only one who is confused?
@ Senior Engineer RTD
There are other SI whose sole purpose was to knowingly legalese tax evasion.
Atleast the Post newspaper will become an independent newspaper again
I think i am liking this Chikwanda guy. Mmembe just revealed that Uncle Chikwanda is level headed than him coz his private conversation has no element of illegality! Mmembe is truly showing desperation here….just pay baba….you where supporting the same falling of the Kwacha…then today ati we couldn’t pay coz kwacha fell….You dig a ditch to burry others…it ends up being your own grave…….Leta indalama iwe….!!!
Chumbu I agree fully with you, no illegality at all in Chikwanda’s private conversation just proof of integrity. On the other hand look at the Post, acting pure and pontificating daily about good morals when
– failing to meet tax obligations
– revealing corruption only when it does not benefit them
– illegally taping private conversations all their life in order to use it to blackmail politicians so that they control government.
Meanwhile we are taught or fed bible verses daily, morality Post style!
The mourning period over Kabimba has come to an end for M’membe. He is now in a violent rage and has come out of his corner with furious fists swinging. The first smashing blow is about to land on Chikwanda’s fragile jaws. At least the Post is once more aligning itself alongside the suffering people by hitting back at PF. Interesting times are unfolding ahead of us. It would be entertaining to watch two behemoths slugging each other in public.
The Post has been given a dose of donchi kubeba, they are acting confused just saying and writing anything that comes to mind, in the process exposing themselves right down to their birth suits!
If you think that you can manipulate and injure people the way they have become accustomed to, the end can come in a terrible way!
Hjoe…..
I am not pf and i will never be one…..I like the intellectual analysis by HM, there is nothing tribalistic abt his views…it’s just that u Post supporters can not reason logically as yo master drowning… Zambians used to you guys but not any more, for the past days u have been putting the headline different from the context of the story which is a sign of desperation. It’s the last kicks of the the dying horse……. When the chap was fighting GB it’s was right when the didn’t commit any offense
HM….continue with the gud work…
Two wrongs don’t make a right. Can’t see the sense of this, someone help me before I make a fool of myself!
I mean the issue here is for ZRA to demand, and for the Post managed by law abiding citizens to pay that which the law demands. Whether ZRA was set on the Post or not is irrelevant, especially for a media organisation which has sought our unflinching trust and has just betrayed that trust without any iota of shame at all.
Zambians,we are not serious with averything we do HONESTLY.How can the govt allow a company like post not to pay TAXES all this while without noticing.CAF couldn”t allow zambia to host the africa cup all because as zambians are not serious.What is it that we have in zambia.No good roads,no good stadiums,filthy and dirty towns like lusaka,no good airport,unplanned townships,very urgly looking towns,no extra stadiums for training.Each time am watching BOLA on DSTV and you compare SUN SET stadium,nkana stadium,nkoloma stadium,nchanga stadium etc and you compare with what other countries have eg south africa,kenya,zimbabwe and angola,you just wonder what is happening in zed.
MMD let us down when it comes to infrastructure development. The 1st five years were good but later on those MMD guys concentrated on politicking and eating. That is why their MPs started ditching the party to jump onto PF so that the eating and arrogance (led by Mr Mulongoti and Madam Siliya) could continue. MMD must repent. As for PF and Post, you must apologise to Zambians for conspiring and get that money to where it belongs – govt coffers to be used to develop this country. We need the infrastructure PF is building. KCM and the other mining companies must STOP blackmailing our country. If some govt officials (MPs and Ministers) feel too small to enforce laws, let them stand aside and watch the capable. There are parties waiting to rule. Abash cheap politicking and stone age tribalism.
A newspaper using bugging devices to listen in to someone’s phone calls is illegal. It is illegal for Mmembe to tap any person’s telephone calls. Now this is a criminal offence that warrants police to make arrests. Police’s failure to arrest this criminal (Mmembe) will drive Zambia into a failed state. If Sata is sane and his faculties still intact, he must not allow himself to be manipulated by a newspaper editor. This latest phone hacking is meant is meant to shape a certain narrative.
Ati Chikwanda this and Chikwanda that hehehe! What about DBZ are they comfortable with the K28 billion not being paid to them???
Am sure they are waiting to see how unprotected the Past Newspaper is or should we say vulnerable. Go for them SWAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!
Q: Who was the greatest financier in the Bible?
A: Noah; he was floating his stock while everyone was in liquidation….and that’s where Mmembe is headed.
Hahaha,nice one there.