MRA INTENSIFIES ENFORCEMENTS, COLLECTS MILLIONS FROM SMUGGLED GOODS.

The Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) has got a number of responsibilities. Apart from collecting revenue for national development and facilitating trade, the Authority also shoulders the responsibility of fighting against criminal offenses such as tax fraud as well as smuggling.

The Authority cannot achieve alone. The responsibility to combat tax fraud, evasion and smuggling rests on all of us. Which is why recently, following a tip from a well-wisher and patriotic citizen, MRA caught, through FAST and in collaboration with the Police, a smuggler and conveyor unloading goods that were not properly cleared through Customs procedures at a warehouse in Area 4, Lilongwe.

Alas, what the team found was alarming: there was a huge volume of smuggled goods. These included hundreds of body care products and packages of diapers and other items whose total unpaid duties were estimated to exceed K85,000,000.

Imagine, had these goods reached the market without trace, the Government (the people of Malawi) would have lost revenue for the construction of roads, bridges, classrooms, clinics and hospitals including money to pay civil servants, just to mention a few.

Thank God. A patriotic citizen tipped MRA leading to the apprehension of the culprits. This incident is a stark reminder to all the people of Malawi. Let us not allow any selfish individual to take away our taxes for national development. Each one of us has a role to safeguard the country from any vice that is aimed at reversing the Malawi’s socio-economic development.

Speaking after MRA seized the smuggled goods, Grace Chilima, Deputy Manager for FAST Centre, warned importers and exporters against indulging in smuggling of goods, adding that those caught will be severely punished.

‘’This is the revenue that the Government needs to develop Malawi and MRA will not tolerate such kind of behaviour to continue,’’ fumed Chilima.

She added that the future of Malawi depends on the choices we make today. By standing up against smuggling, we can all help build a stronger, more prosperous Malawi in line with 2063 Agenda.

BY JACK VILLA CHIMUTU