By: Momodou Justice Darboe
The head of the Gambia’s main revenue collection agency has made a clarion call on consumers to boycott excisable products that do not carry a digital tax stamp.
Commissioner General Yankuba Darboe was convinced that a boycott of unstamped excisable goods would protect local industries, increase tax revenue, reduce the Gambia’s heavy dependency on import, enhance the Dalasi’s health vis-a-vis the more muscular convertible currencies and create jobs.
In January of this year, the GRA introduced digital excise stamps aimed at facilitating tax collection, ensuring transparency and accountability in tax resources management among other goals.
CG Darboe, accompanied by GRA officials, was on Thursday on the factory floors of the Bel water and beverage company at Bonto in Western Gambia as well as Gambega in the Greater Banjul Area.
The country’s revenue administration boss was on the factory floors to see, at close quarters, the compliance rate of the digital tax stamp.
After commending the two companies for their voluntary compliance with the digital excise stamp regulation, CG Darboe highlighted the need for importers of beverages to look inward and support local industries through the consumption of locally-manufactured goods.
“If we want to help our local industries grow, we must patronize them. We need to help them grow. I urge importers of beverages to look inward and contact Bell. We heard that they have eight brands of drinks,” the GRA boss said at Bonto.
He then called for a boycott of and a campaign against all excisable products that do not have the digital tax stamp on; a call he renewed at Gambega.
“Let’s have a campaign that any product we consume must have a digital tax stamp. This is a country that we want to build and there is no going back,” Darboe emphasized.
“What we are doing now [tax reforms] is for posterity. We have a vision, mission and drive and we will work,” he added.
Meanwhile, CG Darboe’s industrial tour, which commenced last week to assess the level of digital compliance, is expected to continue.