PETROL SCAM EXPLODES
ABOUT 40 percent of the fuel on the Zambian market is smuggled resulting into revenue loss through unpaid taxes and duty.
Clearing agents have revealed that
Government is losing colossal sums of money through smuggled fuel which is hauled into Zambia on the pretext of being in transit to other countries but offloaded along the way.
The sad development has incensed the Customs Clearing and
Freight Forwarding Agents Association of Zambia.
The association’s president, Mr Bruce Kaemba, said about 40 percent of the fuel on the Zambian market was smuggled, resulting into loss in revenue through unpaid taxes and duty.
ABOUT
40 percent of the fuel on the Zambian market is smuggled resulting into revenue loss through unpaid taxes and duty.
Clearing agents have revealed that Government is losing colossal sums of money through smuggled fuel which is hauled into Zambia on the pretext of being in transit to other countries but offloaded along the way.
The sad development has incensed the Customs Clearing and Freight Forwarding Agents Association of Zambia.
The association’s president, Mr Bruce Kaemba, said about 40 percent of the fuel on the Zambian market was smuggled, resulting into loss in revenue through unpaid taxes and duty.
Mr Kaemba warned that the association would not hesitate to withdraw services of clearing at points of entry if the situation was not addressed as it bordered on economic sabotage.
He said in an interview that the increase in the number of filling stations in the country had resulted in the upsurge of illegal fuel dealings.
“There are unscrupulous fuel importers who are in the habit of decanting the commodity in Zambia when on entry they declared that the product was destined for the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as its final consumption country. They end up paying less taxes and deny the state colossal sums of money,” Mr Kaemba explained.
He said the perpetrators were evading payment of tax and duty to the government by declaring that the fuel was in transit (RIT) but ended up being offloaded in the country.
Mr Kaemba said the unscrupulous fuel importers present their documents to the clearing agent on entry at the border showing that the fuel was for export to the DRC but offload the commodity into Zambia at some filling stations.
He said the vice was affecting clearing agents who handle the consignment because ZRA demanded that they account for the details of the transactions they were involved and end up being implicated in the scams.
“Some clearing agents have had their licences suspended because they were not able to account for the transaction owing to the fact that the importer decanted the fuel within Zambia without their knowledge,” Mr Kaemba complained.