MRA advises against irresponsible business tactics

The Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) says business owners must be responsible to keep records of their businesses for easy verification when requested by MRA officers.

According to MRA website, the statement is in reaction to Karonga businesses who have petitioned their DC that MRA is violating their constitutional rights and picking on them by checking if indeed taxes for their goods were paid.

But MRA Deputy Director for Corporate Affairs Steven Kapoloma says Section 167 of Customs and Excise Act which indicates that it is the responsibility of persons carrying out businesses to keep proper records of their goods from the date of importation or purchase to
ease verification when called for inspection by MRA officers in the course of duty.

He said MRA is mandated by the Customs and Excise Act to provide administration, management and control of customs and excise; this includes imposition and collection of customs, excise and other duties.

“The business community should exercise their responsibilities. Section 15 of the Act empowers MRA officers to enter any place used for the reception or storage of goods in use or intended for trade and conduct operations such as inquiries, examination of goods and when necessary seal such premises,” said Kapoloma.

He said Karonga is not an isolated case because such exercises are also ongoing in other parts of the country.

“With this mandate, MRA time and again conducts operations to verify if indeed goods imported into the country have all due taxes paid for, therefore, the exercise in Karonga is not isolated, strange or indeed new because such operations are also underway in other parts of the country such as Blantyre, Limbe and Lilongwe,” said Kapoloma.