By: Momodou Justice Darboe
The Commissioner General of the Gambia Revenue Authority(GRA), Yankuba Darboe, was yesterday at the head of an industrial tour by the GRA officials to gauge the rate of compliance with the digital tax stamp and according to the country’s revenue administration boss, the level of compliance he saw was impressive.
The GRA introduced the digital excise stamp in January of this year as part of the Authority’s ambitious reforms to increase efficiency in revenue mobilization through the widening of the tax net.
Commissioner general Darboe and delegation first visited the Bell beverage company at Bonto in Kombo East, where they were met on arrival by the company’s executives.
The delegation then had a meeting with the executives during which, the GRA boss reiterated the significance of the digital excise stamp to the growth prospects of local industries, the country’s revenue generation efforts and national development.
The Bell company has already started applying the digital tax stamp and its managing director Manoj Kumar told CG Darboe and delegation that the company was doing its best in ensuring compliance with the digital tax stamp regime.
Mr. Kumar gave the delegation the assurance that his company would always adhere to the laws of the land.
The delegation was later conducted on a tour of the factory, where digitally stamped bottles could be seen.
Earlier, CG Darboe told the executives of the Bell companythat he was enthusiastically overwhelmed with emotion by the strong commitment of the country’s water and beverage companies in complying with the digital tax stamp regulation.
“One of the reasons for the introduction of the digital excise stamp is that we want to protect our local industries to promote employment creation and revenue generation,” he stated.
According to the Gambia’s revenue mobilization chief, different bottles have made their way into supermarkets due to the porosity of the country’s land borders, adding that the digital excise stamp is introduced to distinguish smuggled products from taxed goods.
“The reason is to ensure accountability, transparency and compliance with tax laws,” Darboe stated, adding that the GRA does not have the capacity to police everywhere, regarding excisable products.
“We cannot increase tax but we want to broaden the tax base. We are trying to stop tax avoidance. Digital tax stamp would reduce tax evasion due to under-declaration,” said the GRA boss.
He explained that the Authority Wednesday had a fruitful meeting with producers.
“I received different calls [from producers] that they have embraced the digital stamp and are ready to apply it,” CG Darboe enthused.
The Production Manager of Bell Company, Seedia Jadama, told the GRA delegation that his outfit prefers dialogue to confrontation.
“We are the biggest manufacturer of beverages and we are ready to comply. I think everybody should be a police to aid compliance with the digital tax stamp. I think all Gambians should stand by their local industries,” he stressed.
Mr. Jadama then called for the protection of local industries from Senegalese industries.
“What is good for the goose is good for the gander. If the Senegalese government can protect their industries, we can also do it,” he posited.
From Bonto, CG Darboe and delegation visited the Gambegabottling company, where they were joined by the Deputy Commissioner General of the GRA Essa Jallow and the delegation was informed on arrival by the company’s managing director Antonio Gueri that Gambega did not only embrace the new digital stamp but it had also outsourced a machine that was on its way to Banjul.
“All our products have the stamps. It shows that Gambega is very passionate about the development of this country. It’spart of our contribution to health, education, infrastructure and other aspects of development in The Gambia,” he stated.
The Commissioner General in response said: “We are very happy and impressed with the level of Gambega’scompliance. Gambega happened to be the first company to accept the digital tax stamp. We are very happy to see that Gambega respects the laws of the country. We visited three stores here that have products with digital stamps.”
CG Darboe assured the company’s boss that Gambega has the full support of the GRA as he called for the universal acceptance of the digital stamp.
“We want everybody to speak in one language and that language is all excisable goods should have tax stamps. Without tax, we cannot develop as a nation,” Darboe pointed out.
See our Tuesday publication for more on the industrial tour.
