Sat, 26 Nov 2016 14:07:44 +0000
ZAMBIA Revenue Authority (ZRA) has insisted that public service vehicles operators countrywide should settle outstanding arears for the period before November 2016.
Bus drivers in Ndola have protested to the announcement by the Revenue House alleging that the outstanding fees had been squashed following the revoking of the law that imposed the tax in November 2015.
ZRA corporate communications officer Robert Zawe saidin a press query that the Authority had engaged in an extensive consultation to issue Tax clearance certificates to PSV operators in order to facilitate renew of Road Transport and Safety Agency (RTSA) operating licences.
He said as per condition of the clearance certificate, it was agreed that the operators settle outstanding arears.
“The arears date between the period before November 2015 and June 2016 at old tax rates and we want to remind taxpayers that all presumptive Tax payments must be made before March 31st 2017,”
However, some drivers from Mulungushi station on local routes downed tools and blocked the access roads to register the disappointment over the decision
The drivers who left commuter stranded, demanded that clarity be made by the authority on clearance of debt.
“Today no buses will load. We are not in agreement with the position of ZRA. The taxes.We were called for a consultative meeting on collection of identity cards from ZRA only to be informed of the need to settle old debts dating back to 2013.
“Why bring about old debts now when the president had halted payments following a protest we staged,” they said
The drivers also complained over RTSAs’ failure to enforce long tenure of renewing drivers licences.
They said a consultative meeting with RTSA ceo Zindaba Soko with various stakeholders, drivers had proposed licences to be renewed after three years.
