Yusuf Manji back in action: Continues to lock horns with TRA over outstanding 1.3bn/-

[BAK]

Yusuf Manji back in action: Continues to lock horns with TRA over outstanding 1.3bn/- tax bill

THISDAY REPORTER
Dar es Salaam

DAR ES SALAAM-based private company Quality Group Limited is still fiercely fighting an official order to pay more than 1bn/- in taxes stemming from the hugely controversial 2004 deal involving the sale of its Ubungo godowns in the city to the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) for a massive 47.5bn/-.

According to THISDAY’s latest findings, the company run by local businessman Yusuf Manji has lodged yet another appeal, this time before the tax revenue appeals tribunal, opposing the 1.3bn/- tax bill imposed by the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA).

The appeal filed by Quality Group is also seeking for repeal of a previous judgment by the Tax Revenue Appeals Board (TRAB), which ordered the company to pay the tax bill issued by TRA.

Our sources say that after receiving the latest Quality Group appeal, the tribunal has called on both Manji�s company and the TRAB to submit written submissions before July 5 this year.

The Tax Revenue Appeals Board (TRAB) and the Tax Revenue Appeals Tribunal (TRAT) were established in 2000 with the mandate to deal with appeals made by taxpayers against bill assessments submitted by TRA.

’’Quality Group is apparently seeking a relief from the tax estimate submitted by TRA, as well as the ruling of the board. I am not sure what will transpire after deliberations of the tribunal,’’ said one source familiar with the appeals process.

The secretary of the Tax Revenue Appeals Board, Respicius Mwijage, was not immediately available for comment.

Sources say Quality Group have submitted around 13 grounds of appeal to support their argument on why they should not be required to pay the tax assessed by TRA.

The company lost their previous appeal against TRA’s bill assessment before the board after failing to produce key documents to authenticate the true value of the Ubungo godowns.

Independent experts have asserted that the godowns were grossly overpriced from the start, and there has been a long-running corruption probe targeting the controversial deal.

It is understood that officials from TRA began trailing the transaction between Quality Group and NSSF for revenue implications only after learning of it through a series of exclusive stories published by THISDAY.

Quality Group Limited had sold all its shares in the Quality Industrial Park to the pensions Fund in August 2004, with the warehouses on Plot No. 16 at Ubungo area in Dar es Salaam listed as the only assets of the industrial park.

In the transaction, the value of the buildings was set at 47.5bn/- and the shares of Quality Industrial Park Limited were valued at the same price, which in effect meant that NSSF had actually bought just the godowns.

Following an assessment of Quality Group Limited’s tax affairs over the period between 1999 and 2005, TRA established that the deal fell under section 13 of the 1973 Income Tax Act, as the sale of the buildings was a capital gain to the company.

In response to TRA’s subsequent bill assessment, Quality Group then appealed to the Tax Revenue Appeals Board, and was required to provide authentic documentary evidence as to the true value of the buildings plus the cost incurred in their construction, for tax deductions.

Quality Group had claimed to have spent over 8.4bn/-, a figure equivalent to 21 per cent of the stated total costs of the buildings, purportedly to import steel structures for the buildings from the United States.

However, the company could not produce relevant tax invoices, receipts or importation documents for the building materials it claimed to have bought in 2003 from an American firm called Starsen Company Limited.

During the appeal hearing, lawyers representing Quality Group submitted before the board uncertified photocopies of valuation reports for the buildings. The reports, ostensibly from the chief government valuer and the University College of Lands and Architectural Studies (UCLAS), put the value of the godowns at around $40.5m or 41.8bn/-.

However, TRA lawyer Ms Asha Nassoro objected to the submission of these documents, questioning their authenticity. And the board ruled in favour of this objection, declaring that the documents were indeed not authentic.

The UCLAS management itself had long since distanced itself from the valuation of the godowns, saying the college was not involved in the deal.

The Prevention of Corruption Bureau (PCB) has been conducting an ongoing investigation into the NSSF-Quality Group deal.

It is also understood that TRA has been studying another controversial major transaction between Quality Group and another pensions fund - the Public Service Pensions Fund (PSPF). In this suspect deal also concluded in 2004, Manji’s company sold its Quality Plaza building in Dar es Salaam to PSPF for 36bn/-.

There have been a lot of queries from members of parliament over PSPF’s dealings with Quality Group.

 

[BAK]

Nchi nyingine inaruhusiwa mtu kukata rufaa, lakini wakati huo huo any o/s balance inakuwa charged na interest rate kwa mfano ya 9% compounded daily na penalty for late payment ya 5%. Sijui kama TRA wanafanya hili.

Huyu jamaa anakingiwa kifua na wanene ndiyo maana anapata kiburi, yeye ndio alikuwa bank ya wasanii katika kinyang'anyiro cha 2005 na wote keshawaweka mfukoni. Hivyo ana sababu zote za kufanya kiburi, akijua wazi kwamba hakutakuwa na repercussion yoyote dhidi yake au anaweza kulonga.

 

[KadaMpinzani]

mengi je nae vipi au hadaiwi mabilioni ya kodi ya sirikali ??

 

[Kichuguu]

Nchi nyingine inaruhusiwa mtu kukata rufaa, lakini wakati huo huo any o/s balance inakuwa charged na interest rate kwa mfano ya 9% compounded daily na penalty for late payment ya 5%. Sijui kama TRA wanafanya hili.

Huyu jamaa anakingiwa kifua na wanene ndiyo maana anapata kiburi, yeye ndio alikuwa bank ya wasanii katika kinyang'anyiro cha 2005 na wote keshawaweka mfukoni. Hivyo ana sababu zote za kufanya kiburi, akijua wazi kwamba hakutakuwa na repercussion yoyote dhidi yake au anaweza kulonga.

Sidhani kama TRA wanamcharge interest, angekuwa amelipa kuogopa interest isiwe kubwa. Definitely Manji ana washikaji ndani ya CCM na serikali yake, na nadhani anajua tu kuwa hakuna litakalofanyika kuhusu kodi hiyo. Serikali yetu hutoza kodi watu isowajua tu, ukishajulikana kwa wahusika unapata msamaha wa kodi.

 

[Halisi]

KadaMpinzani, umekuja na hoja nzuri sana kuuliza kama Mengi naye anadaiwa ama hadaiwi.

Kwa kifupi Mengi angekua anadaiwa, kwa jinsi alivyowakaa kooni hawa waheshimiwa na kwa mtandao wa mtu kama Manji na Mkapa, saa hizi Mengi angekwishafilisiwa na pengine kukamatwa na kuwekwa ndani, lakini kuna kila dalili kuwa hadaiwi, lakini Ni jambo la kusikitisha kuanza kuhoji anayefichua maovu, tunakua kama Mkapa alipokua madarakani aliwaambia waandishi wa habari kule Manyoni kwamba, wana wivu wa KIJINGA na kusema "Hebu waulizeni na wao wamepata wapi mitaji ya kuanzisha magazeti."

Sasa wanaoandika badala ya kujadili hoja, tunataka kubadili mwelekeo na kuanza kuwanyooshea vidole. TUSIKUBALI JF ikaanza kutumika

 

[Halisi]

BAK,
nadhani ungetusaidia kufafanua jinsi nchi za wenzetu zinavyotoza interest rate na TRA wafanye nini, kwani hizo ndio hoja zinazotakiwa kwa kusaidia Taifa lipate mapato, japo wakikusanya wanakula, ili tuanza kuwasakama wanaokula.

TUPAMBANE Kusaidia wakusanye, tupambane pia kulinda WASICHOTE NA KUZILA

 

[Mtoto wa Mkulima]

Halisi unapoint hapo tujadili kwa manufaa ya taifa. Swala la Mengi kudaiwa au kutodaiwa kwa sasa hatuwezi kujua maana hatuna vielelezo ila kwa hili lililopo mbele yetu tunaweza kujadili na kuona sheria za nchi zetu zinatoa je mwanya kwa wakwepa kodi not only Manji ila mtu yeyote. Bubu ataka kusema tupe issue.

 

[Mwanagenzi]

Nijuavyo hudaiwi riba (interest) isipokuwa unatakiwa kulipa kiasi fulani (nadhani 20%) ya hilo deni linalobishaniwa hata kabla au wakati rufaa yako ikiendelea kusikilizwa. Ukishinda na pesa ulizolipa zikizidi unarudishiwa.

 

[BAK]

Nchi nyingine tax payer anapotaka kuappeal any o/s balance ya kodi anaruhusiwa kufanya hivyo. Kuna hatua mbali mbali ambazo inabidi apitie ili kukamilisha lengo lake. Wakati huo huo yeye anapokuwa anaendelea na hatua moja baada ya nyingine ya rufani, o/s bal aliyokuwa nayo inazidi kuongezeka kwa kuchajiwa 9% interest rate pamoja na late payment ya hiyo bal.

Rufaa yake ikikubaliwa basi tax payer huyo hana deni la kulipa kwani o/s bal pamoja na interest and penalty amount vyote vinafutwa. Lakini kama rufaa yake ikikataliwa basi deni linakuwa ni original o/s balance + interest amount + penalty amount for late payment.

 

[BAK]

Hivi hili deni lilishalipwa au bado jamaa anawapiga chenga ya mwili TRA?

 

[Kevo]

Hivi hiki ni kiini macho au ni nini?Baada ya kuona sasa Watanzania wamechoka vioja vyake wameona watudanganye kuwa TRA ina mdai ili tujue kwamba serikali haimwogopi?Huu ni uongo na hamna jipya hapa wamchunguze na huyo business rival wake Mengi.

 

[jmushi1]

Hivi mmiliki wa Bora Apts ni nani?

 

[BAK]

Mods nawaomba muifungulie thread moja ya Manji kuhusiana na jengo la Salamander

 

[BAK]

Wale wasaliti wa Tanzania na Watanzania na pia watetezi wa mapapa wa ufisadi akina Machiavelli, Ngekewa na Game Theory ushahidi mwingine dhidi ya fisadi Manji huu hapa.

 

[Kituko]

hiyo ni miongoni vya vitendo vingi vya kifisadi ambavyo vingine vipo ndani kabisa ya wahusika wakuu wa nchi, tusubiri tuone mchezo wa kuigiza kama ule wa kina Mahalu, kalamagi EL na wengineo

 

[Zak Malang]

Halisi:
Wasio na hoja madhubuti kazi yao ndiyo hiyo -- kushambulia messenger kuliko hoja yake. Huyu Manji kaiweka serikali ya JK mfukoni na sababu yake ni kwamba mnamo 2005, wakati wa kampeni ya uchaguzi Manji aliendesha mchango wa fedha kutoka kwa Wahindi ktk hafla moja iliyofanyika kwenye nyumba moja huko Oysterbay.

Yeye Manji ndiyo alikuwa mpokea fedha taslimu hapo kutoka kwa wachangiaji na kumkabidhi JK. walikuwa wanatoa fedha taslimu kwa sababu cheki zingeweza kuwa traced.

Wana JF hizi habari ni za kweli na wenye habari zaidi ya tukio hilo wajitokeze na kuzielezea humu JF. Nasikiavyo kuna picha zilipigwa la hafla hiyo baaddhi zikimwonyesha Manji akisimama pembeni mwa JK akimkabidhi mabunda ya noti huku wote wawili wakichekelea.

Sasa hivi kweli nani ktk utawala wa JK anaweza kumpandisha manji kizimbani? Pengine hata akiua mtu, hawezi hata kukamatwa.

 

[Zak Malang]

Na mi siku nyingi nimesikia kuwapo kwa hafla hiyo ya wahindi kumchangia JK -- tena hivyo hivyo kwamba walikuwa wakitoa mabunda taslimu.

Wana-Jf, wenye data zaidi wazitoe tuwadhalilishe hawa jamaa wasiokuwa na uchungu na nchi yetu.

 

[Mpendanchi-2]

Hapa ni Wizi Mtupu, kashawapa rushwa wahusika na hiyo Apeal Board anataka asilipe hiyo kodi na asafishe jina kuwa yeye mlipa kodi. Kweli vituko tutaendelea kuviona hadi mwisho wa Dunia!!!

 

[Semilong]

ukikwepa kodi unafungwa
watu wanachofanya wanalipa halafu wana appeal alafu wanapata tax returns

manji kitu alichofanya alikimbia kulipa kodi alafu TRA walivyokuja kujua jamaa hajalipa kodi ndio wakamwambia alipe na yeye aka appeal
ukikimbia kulipa kodi ni crime na ndio kitu alichofanya manji...