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Smuggling, Improper Cement Import Tax Filing Costing Tanzania $9.2 Million Annually

Smuggling, Improper Cement Import Tax Filing Costing Tanzania $9.2 Million Annually

From All Africa

The government suffers over 15bn/- loss annually in revenue due to smuggling and improperly taxed cement imports through Zanzibar, an industry source said in Dar es Salaam over the weekend.

The Tanga Cement Company Limited (TCCL) Managing Director, Mr Erik Westerberg, made the revelation while presenting a report at the firm’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) and urged for intervention of relevant authorities.

Mr Westerberg told TCCL shareholders that the company was doing well, but its prospects were undermined by importers of cement who evade or avoid payment of adequate tax.

“We need a level playing ground, otherwise local cement producers may suffer heavy losses or driven out of the market,” said the TCCL chief. He said an investigation by cement producers established that there was a lot of cement entering the country through Zanzibar, although construction activities in the Isles were not that much high.

Read more at allafrica.com