BURS loses P80 million claim against Prevailing Securities
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Botswana Unified Revenue Services (BURS) has lost an P80 million tax claim against Prevailing Securities (Pty) Ltd, a company owned by Shadrack Baaitse, an ally of former President Lt Gen Ian Khama.
Lobatse High Court Judge Michael Leburu this week ruled in favour of Danny Julius Guduli in his capacity as the Judicial Manager of Prevailing Securities (Pty) Ltd against Botswana Unified Revenue Services (BURS) and its Commissioner General.
On the 17th August 2018, the company [Prevailing Securities] was selected by the BURS for Tax Investigations. The Managing Director, Baaitse, attended an interview called by BURS, duly represented by Kaone Molapo, Daphney Baka and Samuel Mokelwane. The said interview was in respect to the companys tax liability.
On the 30th January 2019, the respondent [BURS] issued two notices of assessments. The first one related to Value Added Tax (VAT) and the other to the Income Tax Assessment. In respect to the VAT Assessment, the Respondents issued a total additional assessment of P7, 179, 977.92 for the period January 2013 to December 2017. It further imposed a penalty of 200%, thus bringing the total penalty charge to P14, 359, 955.85.
In the Notice of Assessment, BURS state among others that the company had understated output tax, as evidenced by the Company bank statement, which had indicated that the company had received more income than what was declared as turnover in the submitted returns. As for input tax, the Respondents stated that the Company had not provided tax invoices.
According to the Applicant, the company had provided all the requisite documents to the Respondents.
The VAT Assessment, according to Danny Julius Guduli, did not include some of the payments made to the Respondents by the Company, for instance, the sum of P119, 952.83 paid on the 1st March 2014 was not reflected on the assessment schedule.
Furthermore, it was averred that the Respondent levied VAT on unpaid invoices and this subjected the company to an unreasonable tax burden for the sum of money received.
The applicant denies that the company understated its income. In amplification, it contended that the company received two types of income, namely income derived from its ordinary course of business and that the other income came from non- income activities.
These non- income activities were not related to any contractual income from its different customers. The non- income activities included reversed instalments, dishonoured cheques, reversed stop- orders, intercompany fund transfers, temporary loans, insurance claims, funds deposited from other bank accounts of the company to meet expenses and rejected salaries from employees bank accounts.
For services rendered, the company was paid in arrears by its customers and not all customers paid for services rendered on time and in full. According to the Applicant, the Respondents levied tax for services rendered, even before the company was actually by its customers.
It is the applicants case that the inclusion of non- income activities in the assessment is not only wrongful but irrational and that it amounts to abuse of authority.
With respect to Income Tax Assessment, the Applicant avers that the Respondent erroneously treated all deposits in the company bank accounts as income. The total amount levied as outstanding assessment was P56 703 834.34 which included a 200% penalty.
The total credits from all the four banks stood at P72, 928, 094.61. A total of P22, 068, 250.50 was from non- income activities. The total income before the expenses and running costs, from the four banks was P50, 859, 844.11.
According to the Respondents, this conduct by the company was determined to be intentionally made so as to cheat the fiscus and that this imposition of administrative penalty, was in terms of Section 118 (1) (a) (b) and (c) of the Income Tax Act.
Under the Judicial Review, the documents filed of record will show that the audits conducted against the Applicant covered the periods of 2012- 2018. Information in the Bank statements was wrongfully extrapolated to deem receipt of income when such was not so.
According to the applicant, a number of contracts either did not exist or had expired for the periods under assessment. These included the University of Botswana, BAMB, and BPC contracts, which had expired in 2016; BMC contract which expired in the early part of 2018 and BCL in 2016.
High Court Judge Michael Leburu wrote: In my view, while banks statements may show the amount in the bank at any given point, they dont indicate the companys profitability, the various taxes collected nor the deductions that a tax payer would be entitled to.
According to the judgement a bank is thus not necessarily a reflection of the profitability or financial performance of a company and cannot always objectively be used to determine the profitability of company nor its VAT liability, given the allowable deductions permitted under the Income Tax and Value Added tax legislations.
The expenses associated with the company operations are by law not part of its taxable income and any re-assessment should have not ignored this fact.
For all the above reasons, I am satisfied that the Applicant has made out a case for review and has succeeded in showing that the decision of the Commissioner General to include non- income receipts, as part of its taxable income, and receipts that did not constitute a taxable supply was irrational and unreasonable.
Consequently, the re-assessment by the Respondent is hereby set aside, including the consequences penalties imposed. It is accordingly ordered that the respondents additional VAT assessment of P7, 179, 977.92 against Prevailing Securities (Pty) Ltd for the period January 2013 to December 2017 be reviewed and set aside; and that the Respondents imposed penalties of 200% against Prevailing Securities (Pty) Ltd in the sum of P14, 359, 955.85 be reviewed and set aside.
Again the respondents Income Tax Assessment of P56, 703, 834.34 inclusive of penalty of 200% against Prevailing Securities (Pty) Ltd be reviewed and set aside.
The respondents were also ordered to carry out a re- assessment of the companys tax liability (Income Tax and Value Added Tax) within 60 days from the date hereof and they shall bear the costs of this application, including that of the counsel. The judgement was delivered by electronic mail on the 27th April, 2021.
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The curtain came down at the PAP session with pomp and FUNFAIR
It was pomp and funfair at the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) on March 18 as the African Cultural Music and Dance Association (ACUMDA) brought the curtains down on the PAP session with a musical performance.
The occasion was the celebration of the Pan-African Parliament Day (PAP Day) which commemorated the inauguration of the first Parliament of the PAP on 18 March 2004 at the African Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The celebrations took place at the seat of the Parliament in Midrand to “reflect on the journey” as the institution turns 19. The event sought to retrace the origin and context of the establishment of the PAP.
The celebrations included musical performances by ACUMDA and a presentation by Prof. Motshekga Mathole of the Kara Heritage Institute on “Whither Pan-Africanism, African Culture, and Heritage.”
The PAP Day was officially launched in 2021 to educate citizens about the Continental Parliament and ignite conversations about its future in line with its mandate.
The establishment of the PAP among the AU organs signalled a historical milestone and the most important development in the strengthening of the AU institutional architecture. It laid solid groundwork for democratic governance and oversight within the African Union system and provided a formal “platform for the peoples of Africa to get involved in discussions and decision-making on issues affecting the continent.”
The genesis of the PAP can be legally traced back to 1991 with the adoption of the Treaty Establishing the African Economic Community, adopted on June 3, 1991, in Abuja (also known as the Abuja Treaty). This treaty defined the pillars and grounds for realizing economic development and integration in Africa and called for the creation of a continental parliament, among a set of other organs, as tools for the realization of African integration and economic development. This call was reemphasized in the Sirte Declaration of 1999, which called for the accelerated implementation of the provisions of the Abuja Treaty.
PAP celebrated its ten years of existence in March 2014, a year which coincided with the adoption, on June 27, 2014, in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, of the Protocol to the Constitutive Act of the African Union relating to the Pan-African Parliament (PAP Malabo Protocol), which, once in force, will transform the PAP into a legislative body of the AU. It requires a minimum of 28 countries to ratify it before it comes into force.
Therefore, the commemoration of PAP Day serves as a reminder to the decision-makers around the continent to fulfil their commitment to the PAP by ratifying its Protocol, 19 years after sanctioning its establishment. 14 AU member states have so far ratified the Malabo Protocol.
The celebrations of PAP Day coincided with the closing ceremony of the sitting of the PAP Permanent Committees and other organs. The Sitting took place in Midrand, South Africa under the AU theme for 2023, “Accelerating the implementation of African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)” from 6 to 17 March 2023.
PAP President, H.E. Chief Fortune Charumbira, expressed appreciation to members for their commitment during the two-week engagement.
“We have come to the end of our program, and it is appropriate that we end on a high note with the PAP Day celebrations.
“We will, upon your return to your respective countries, ensure that the work achieved over the past two weeks is transmitted to the national level for the benefit of our citizens,” concluded H.E. Chief Charumbira.
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PAP needs to priorities land issues-Prof Mathole
Prof Motshekga Mathole of the Kara Heritage Institute has advised the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) to prioritise the land issue in the continent if they are to remain relevant.
He said this while addressing the Plenary during the commemoration of PAP Day held at the PAP Chambers in Midrand, South Africa
The PAP Day was officially launched in 2021 to commemorate the inauguration of the first Parliament on 18 March 2004 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Intended as a platform for people of all African states to be involved in discussions and decision-making on problems and challenges facing the continent.
In a speech titled “Whither Pan-Africanism, African Culture, and Heritage,” Prof Mathole stated that for PAP to remain relevant, it must address the continent’s key land dilemma, which he feels is the core cause of all problems plaguing the continent
“If this Parliament is to be taken seriously, ownership of land and natural resources must be prioritized at the national and continental levels. Africans are not poor; they are impoverished by imperialist nations that continue to hold African land and natural resources,” said Prof Mathole.
“When African leaders took power from colonialists, they had to cope with poverty, unemployment, and other issues, but they ignored land issues. That is why Africa as a whole is poor today. Because our land and minerals are still in the hands of colonizers, Africa must rely on Ukraine for food and Europe for medical.”
Prof Mathole believes that the organization of the masses is critical as cultural revolution is the only solution to Africa’s most problems.
“We need a cultural revolution for Africa, and that revolution can only occur if the masses and people are organized. First, we need a council of African monarchs since they are the keepers of African arts, culture, and heritage. We need an African traditional health practitioners council because there is no ailment on the planet that cannot be healed by Africans; the only problem is that Africans do not harvest and process their own herbs,” he said.
Meanwhile, PAP President, H.E. Hon Chief Fortune Charumbira expressed satisfaction with the commitment displayed throughout the two-week period and said the PAP Day celebrations were befitting curtains down to the august event.
“On this high note of our two-week engagement, it is appropriate that we close our program on a high note with PAP celebrations, and I would like to thank everyone for your commitment, and please continue to be committed,” said H.E Hon Chief Charumbira.
PAP’s purpose as set out in Article 17 of the African Union Constitutive Act, is “to ensure the full participation of African people in the development and economic integration of the continent”. As it stands, the mandate of the Parliament extends to consultation and playing an advisory and oversight role for all AU organs pending the ratification protocol.
Also known as the Malabo Protocol, the Protocol to the consultative act of the AU relating to the PAP was adopted at the Assembly of Heads of State and Government summit in June 2014 and is intended to extend the powers of the PAP into a fully-fledged legislative organ. It requires a minimum of 28 countries to ratify it before it comes into force.
The commemoration of the PAP Day, therefore, serves as a reminder to the decision-makers around the continent to fulfil their commitment to the PAP by ratifying its Protocol, 17 years after sanctioning its establishment. 14 AU member states have so far ratified the Malabo Protocol.
The PAP Day commemoration also aims to educate citizens about the PAP and ignite conversations about the future of the continental Parliament in line with its mandate.
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DPP drops Kably threat to kill case
The Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) Chief Whip and Member of Parliament for Letlhakeng/Lephephe Liakat Kably has welcomed the Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP)’s decision not to prosecute BDP councillor, Meshack Tshenyego who allegedly threatened to kill him. However, the legislator has warned that should anything happen to his life, the state and the courts will have to account.
In an interview with this publication, Kablay said he has heard that the DPP has declined to prosecute Tshenyego in a case in which he threatened to kill him adding that the reasons he received are that there was not enough evidence to prosecute. “I am fine and at peace with the decision not to prosecute over evidential deficits but I must warn that should anything happen to my life both the DPP and the Magistrate will have to account,” Kablay said.
Connectedly, Kably said he has made peace with Tshenyego, “we have made peace and he even called me where upon we agreed to work for the party and bury the hatchet”.
The DPP reportedly entered into a Nolle Prosequi in the matter, meaning that no action would be taken against the former Letlhakeng Sub-district council chairperson and currently councillor for Matshwabisi.
According to the charge sheet before the Court, councilor Tshenyego on July 8th, 2022 allegedly threatened MP Kably by indirectly uttering the following words to nominatedcouncilor Anderson Molebogi Mathibe, “Mosadi wa ga Liakat le ban aba gagwe ba tsile go lela, Mosadi wame le banake le bone ba tsile go lela. E tla re re mo meeting, ka re tsena meeting mmogo, ke tla mo tlolela a bo ke mmolaya.”
Loosely translated this means, Liakat’s wife and children are going to shed tears and my wife and kids will shed tears too. I will jump on him and kill him during a meeting.
Mathibe is said to have recorded the meeting and forwarded it to Kably who reported the matter to the police.
In a notice to the Magistrate Court to have the case against Tshenyego, acting director of Public Prosecutions, Wesson Manchwe cited the nolle prosequi by the director of public prosecution in terms of section 51 A (30) of the Constitution and section 10 of the criminal procedure and evidence act (CAP 08:02) laws of Botswana as reasons for dropping the charges.
A nolle prosequi is a formal notice of abandonment by a plaintiff or prosecutor of all or part of a suit or action.
“In pursuance of my powers under section 51 A (300 of the Constitution and section 10 of the criminal procedure and evidence act (CAP 08:02) laws of Botswana, I do hereby stop and discontinue criminal proceedings against the accused Meshack Tshenyego in the Kweneng Administrative District, CR.No.1077/07/2022 being the case of the State vs Tshenyego,” said Manchwe. The acting director had drafted the notice dropping the charges on 13th day of March 2023.
The case then resumed before the Molepolole Magistrate Solomon Setshedi on the 14th of March 2023. The Magistrate issued an order directing “that matters be withdrawn with prejudice to the State, accused is acquitted and discharged.”