By FLAVIOR CHISHALA –
THE Authentic Advocate for Justice and Democracy has condemned the Post Newspaper Limited for evading tax and allowing it to accumulate to more than K16 million.
Chief executive of the organisation Longe Mulenga said taxes are a vital aspect for the smooth running of the society, and shunning it will mean low development for the country.
Mr Mulenga said paying taxes created a sense of social responsibility in all citizens and it helped people realise that they were the financiers of social amenities.
“The taxes that we pay are used for remunerating all the Government representatives, officers, administrators, and employees and for all other expenses related to the running of the Government machinery,” he said.
Mr Mulenga said in an interview yesterday that the private newspaper was painting a very bad picture to the foreign companies by shunning tax.
He said that as a local and big institution, the newspaper was supposed to set a good example to other companies.
He appealed to the newspaper to reconsider their ways and be fair to Government as the taxes paid were not only meant to support the internal security forces but also the national security personnel who protect the country from external enemies and terrorists who threaten the security and peace of the nation.
“We wait with eagerness and enthusiasm when our representatives make promises of roads, bridges, highways, free education, free medication, job opportunities, during election campaigns,” Mr Mulenga said.
“Government can only plan and accomplish these if we pay our taxes correctly”.
He also appealed to other companies that might be doing the same to be patriotic citizens and avoid shunning tax payments and help Government take care of all the social and community needs.
The Post Newspaper Limited was on Friday last week, served with two warrants of distress by the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) demanding payments of more than K16 million in tax and tax arrears.