ZRB closes telecom firms’ premises over taxes

AS the legal battle between Zanzibar Revenue Board (ZRB) and mobile phone companies over unpaid taxes continues in court, the former has padlocked the latter’s offices in the Isles accusing them of being stubborn when it comes to paying taxes.

According to the Acting Manager, Registration and Tax Payment Department, Ms Safia Mzee, ZRB and three mobile companies namely Tigo, Airtel, and Vodacom, have a court case over disputes on settling tax arrears.

“We demand from the companies’ remission of Value Added Tax (VAT) accumulated from the time they opened their businesses in Zanzibar.

Tigo has been operating under different names since 1998, Vodacom opened in 2003 while Airtel in 2010, but they are disputing and waiting for court decision,” Ms Mzee said.

She said that Wednesday’s shutdown was because of the companies’ failure to submit their returns and pay VAT, as per tax laws, from the month of July this year.

Ms Mzee said that the mobile phone companies had failed to adhere to reminders to pay the taxes, adding, “We are enforcing tax collection from businesses that have failed to pay arrears for the past years despite continued reminders for them to do so.”

Efforts to get comments from Vodacom, Airtel, and Tigo about the move proved futile, as the mobile phone firms’ staff members declined to comment.

/Daily News.