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toubab1020
12306 Posts |
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Momodou
Denmark
11698 Posts |
 Posted - 16 Sep 2013 : 22:04:56
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Arrests of Businesspersons Escalate as Businesses Close Down
By Kebba Jeffang
Foroyaa: Published on Monday, 16 September 2013
As the combined security forces continue to intensify the arrest of businesspersons in the Greater Banjul Area, many shops are closing down for lack of the ability to pay tax arrears. Foroyaa spoke to some affected individuals in order to know exactly how they are affected as far as business is concerned. This prompted this reporter to visit some areas such as Serekunda, Latrikunda, Tallinding, Lamin and Brikama to hear from the victims. One Ibrahim Gaye in Serekunda who owns a big shop selling some food items like bags of rice, bags of onions, bags of sugar, gallons of oil, etc at wholesale and is adversely affected by this tax payment campaign, told this reporter that he no longer sells as he has closed his shop due to the pressure to pay high taxes which he said is beyond his capacity.
According to Mr. Gaye, he was never arrested or closed down by the authorities due to lack of tax settlement. He said since he saw people being arrested for not paying tax, he has to close before he would be arrested. However, he expressed the belief that there are so many factors responsible that led to his decision, among which is the tax hike and the depreciation of the dalasi.
“I have been in this business now for more than 15 years without ever experiencing the difficulties like I am facing in recent times. Every businessperson knows that you cannot operate in any country without paying tax and we have been fulfilling our obligations.
But why are things like this now?” asked Mr. Ibrahim Gaye. He further explained that Serekunda is the busiest area in the Gambia when you talk about business. He said the place is really contributing to the development of the economy of the Gambia, but added that he fears that the way things are going resulting in the closure of businesses could lead to a slow progress.
“As I have closed, so have many others and some are on the verge of doing so because as Gambians, we are paying more than D5, 000 tax yearly and other state and local government obligations together with our family functions,” he said. A woman stall owner at Tallinding market who prefers anonymity, also confirms that business is going down while the tax demanded is higher than their earnings which she said forced her to quit business for the meantime as affordability becomes her major problem. When she was asked whether she was ordered to close her business for lack of tax settlement as she was found packing all her goods which include rice, onions, potatoes, tomatoes, carrots which she sells at the retail level, she said she was not asked by anyone to close down, pointing out that she believes it’s the duty of every citizen to pay tax regularly, especially as a business person. She said since it has reached this stage due to low earnings and tax increments, she has to quit.
“I have no other choice,” she explained. She was asked what she would do next if she quits business. She replied: “Only God knows but in the meantime, I would suffer a lot especially since I am a bread winner.” According to her, she has spent 5 years in business at the said place, but has never experienced a complicated moment like this. At Brikama, Amadou Njie, a Senegalese national who was also seen packing his belongings and heading to the garage intimated to this reporter that he spent 7 years in business in the Gambia.
“With due respect to the Gambian business principles, I have to leave, everything is time and my time has ended now and that’s the work of God,” he lamented. According to Njie, throughout his lengthy business career in the Gambia, he has never been apprehended for lack of settlement of tax. He said this time around he was arrested and taken to a place called Holgam in Kanifing during the Ramadan where he spent almost a week.
“When I was arrested I asked them to let me settle the tax as I cannot be under arrest and settle a debt at the same time. And the money demanded by them was not even in my shop but my appeal was turned down. I had to contact my relatives outside the Gambia to assist me with an amount to settle that and be freed,” he disclosed. When asked how he sees business in the Gambia now compared to before, Njie stated that it is incomparable because for now the amount of tax they are paying as non citizen is over D13,000 unlike before which is even less than D7,000. He said businesspersons were not suppressed as now such as forceful intervention by the state armed security forces.
“I have loved Gambia ever since and the people of the Gambia, but I believe my time is up to leave and to look to the future. God had decided for things to be like this and it must happen,” he concluded with a heavy heart. Fatou Sey owns a restaurant at Serekunda but she too has phased out of business due to the same reason highlighted by the previous interviewees.
Sey has pasted a poster on her restaurant’s door apologising to her customers for any inconvenience her temporal closure may cause with her telephone number attached. She was contacted by phone. Lacking words, she simply said she could not speak much but all she could say is that she has left business for the meantime till later due to the tax demand pressure as she has been witnessing the arrests of her colleagues by the combined security forces.
According to her, she could not bear this as a woman. Other affected businesspersons include Lamin Senghore of Lamin village, Ida Sarr of Brikama market who all expressed similar concerns as they all quitted business which according to them may be the end of the road in business for them if the trend continues.
Source: Foroyaa |
A clear conscience fears no accusation - proverb from Sierra Leone |
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toubab1020
12306 Posts |
Posted - 17 Sep 2013 : 01:35:15
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The quest for unpaid taxes by the administration is having I suspect unexpected consequences for shopkeepers,and other petty sellers who try to make a small living at markets, a place where many women can be found who although they want to make money daily from selling their goods or produce go to market also to counter boredom,the market is a place where the women can meet their friends and pass the day,even though often their transport costs cannot be recouped by the goods they sell on many days,as the foroyaa article states:
" A woman stall owner at Tallinding market who prefers anonymity, also confirms that business is going down while the tax demanded is higher than their earnings which she said forced her to quit business for the meantime as affordability becomes her major problem. When she was asked whether she was ordered to close her business for lack of tax settlement as she was found packing all her goods which include rice, onions, potatoes, tomatoes, carrots which she sells at the retail level, she said she was not asked by anyone to close down, pointing out that she believes it’s the duty of every citizen to pay tax regularly, especially as a business person. She said since it has reached this stage due to low earnings and tax increments, she has to quit."
Which is a clear indication that many business people are closing their businesses due to fear that they may be arrested and incarcerated,PERSONALLY, I think that "clarification" by the authorities MAY help the last thing Gambia needs now is many many empty shops and market places,competition would cease and poverty and hunger amongst the average Gambian would escalate out of control.
NO ONE IN GAMBIA or in other countries wants to see the spectre of a Ghost country with no thriving businesses ,shops,or markets just rows and rows of empty stalls and shops.
The public and business MUST realise that without tax raised money,PROPERLY TRANSPARENTLY ACCOUNTED FOR, The Gambia will not have any chance to progress to the next stage of building a strong viable enduring Nation.
Relevant topic.
http://www.gambia.dk/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=13407 |
"Simple is good" & I strongly dislike politics. You cannot defend the indefensible.
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Edited by - toubab1020 on 17 Sep 2013 01:38:21 |
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Momodou
Denmark
11698 Posts |
Posted - 27 Sep 2013 : 19:47:54
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IS THE GOVERNMENT LISTENING?
Foroyaa Editorial: Published on Friday, 27 September 2013
HEAVY TAXATION ON SMALL SCALE ENTERPRISES WOULD LEAD TO THEIR COLLAPSE AND GROWTH IN POVERTY
It is evident to all those who have understanding of the nature of the Gambian economy that the informal sector is its backbone. This informal sector does not depend on formal capital to grow and develop. It is not uncommon for a family member in the Diaspora channelling funds for another family member to run a business in order to meet family needs. Salary earners also do keep their monthly ‘fish money’ with certain vendors who convert it into commodities and give the daily ‘fish money’ to the concerned family in order to increase their income. Farmers do also sell cattle or small ruminants to finance the small scale enterprises of other family members.
The Government knows that the hunger season is not over yet in the countryside and farmers have been saved from near starvation because of relatives who engage in small scale enterprises in the urban area and provide support to those living in the rural area. Most of these hard working small scale enterprise owners are law abiding and try to confirm their honesty to others by declaring that they have never seen the inner part of a police station. Most of them do not waste time with notices. Many never knew that they should declare their income. Hence if Government wanted to be strict with tax compliance, what was necessary was to give a grace period during which notices could be sent through area and municipal councils of the need to comply with the relevant laws.
It goes without saying that feasts are the period when small scale enterprises maximise their earnings. Before feasts most owners of such enterprises do not only use the capital they have but do also borrow capital to invest in commodities they could sell for the feast. What is surprising is that it is at this time that small scale enterprise owners are being arrested, transported and put in cells to sleep overnight away from families and businesses like common criminals. In this way, their dignity and self worth have become casualties. The Government needs to adopt an approach other than criminalizing those who have done all their best to find means of survival by working for it rather than going into the criminal world.
If hard work cannot save a person from police cells, then what is the incentive for seeking honest ways of earning an income? Fresh thinking is needed on how to expand the tax base without criminalizing the small scale producer who saves families from poverty.
Source: Foroyaa
BUSINESS PERSONS DECRY DETENTION AT HOLGAM
By Madiba Singhateh
Foroyaa: Published on Friday, 27 September 2013
As the cat and mouse game between the combined security forces and businesspersons intensify especially within the Greater Banjul Area, businesspersons at the Serekunda market have again informed Foroyaa that their colleagues were on Wednesday 25th of September 2013 arrested and detained at the NDEA Office based at the former Holgam company premises. According to information, some business persons have been detained at Holgam Company in the evening of Wednesday night and have been distributed to the different police stations within the Kanifing Municipality.
A resident of Serekunda town adjacent to the main Serekunda market said his relative who has a tailoring workshop was picked up on Wednesday and taken to Holgam. He said relatives went to the detention center at Holgam to provide surety for him, but were denied by the security from doing so. Mr Ousman, this relative who visited the tailors at the Holgam premises said the tailor was asked to pay D4,500 as VAT for operating two sewing machines at his workshop. He said they were granted police bail at a sum of D300,000 and were asked to report to the police on bail on Tuesday 1st October 2013.
However, sources close to the market added that many of those arrested at the said market were business persons who are engaged in small scale businesses and retailers. At the scene on Wednesday night around 23:00hrs, many concerned persons were found standing at the Holgam gate who informed this reporter that they were not allowed entry into the premises to see their loved ones. They however said their family members were being arrested and detained and they were not allowed access to them.
They expressed frustration because they they did not know the reason for their arrest. It was earlier reported by this paper that business persons across the country are being arrested and detained for not settling their tax obligations including the VAT which led to the closure of many shops for fear that the owners may be arrested and detained.
Source: Foroyaa |
A clear conscience fears no accusation - proverb from Sierra Leone |
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