By Wandile Dludlu.
Africa-Press – Eswatini. The triple current tax framework by both the Ministry of Finance as well as the Eswatini Revenue Services (ERS) on foreign registered vehicles driven by emaSwati in the port of entries is conceived with a fraudulent intent all meant to scam ordinary citizens in the most merciless fashion and must stop forthwith.
When Swazis purchase a vehicle not just in South Africa but anywhere particular in the Southern African Development Community(SADC) region, part of the price already includes(Value Added Tax) commonly known as VAT.
Citizens upon arrival at any port of entry are required by law not only to declare but actually pay a fifteen percent(15%) VAT based on the frivolous basis of you are a Swazi citizen thus not allowed to drive a GP or MP registered vehicle into eSwatini or else you pay on the spot 15%.
This is notwithstanding the fact that already you have paid tax at the point of purchase usually garages who will remit this money to their respective government later taken to the Southern Custom Union common monetary system under SADC for which Swazi Government on our behalf a stakeholder and beneficiary.
Swazis buy and keep their vehicles foreign registered not as a symbol of fashion but very real factors particularly crime.
Statistics is there for anyone who cares to follow, emaSwati who frequent South Africa and or other SADC countries for various reasons particularly economic ones turn to be targets by criminals owing to presumptions of easy targets, liquidity and such like variables.
This therefore means, the one hundred and fifty Rands(R150) Road Tax paid every time you cross the border becomes the 3rd tax levied by same government, on the same vehicles and same owner.
We have to note that it’s very easily possible for one Liswati aking a living thus frequently crossing in and out of the Ngwenya port of entry to end up literally paying the five thousand or eight thousand he or she paid two years ago as 15% through this road tax whilst carrying a 15 % VAT certificate as per the same ERS, an entity that is itself actually illegal.
The establishment of centralized tax collection was made through the Swaziland Revenue Authority Act of 2008, but today we have some animal called Eswatini Revenue Services(ERS) with no enabling legal basis courtesy of excited compliance to a Birthday Royal Speech.
We must stop allowing ourselves as a Nation to be taken on a hell ride by scammers synonymous to nothing but facata lomkhulu who use and abuse the law and concept of VAT enacted in line with the International Noble Conventions on Taxations of good and services.
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