Zanzibar. Minister of State in the Vice
President’s Office –Union matters Samia Suluhu Hassan has refuted claims
that imports entering Tanzania Mainland through Zanzibar were double
taxed.
She made this revelation during university
students’ concert which evaluated the 50 years of the Union between
Tanganyika and Zanzibar.
The concert was held at Migombani area and was
officiated by the minister of State in the Second Vice President’s
Office in Zanzibar, Mohamed Aboud Mohamed.
Samia said the complaints which have been made by
some businessmen and politicians are baseless accusations aimed at
undermining the union, noting that the tax system applied in Mainland
Tanzania and at the Isles were similar.
“No imports are double taxed when imported through
Zanzibar to Tanzania Mainland. We simply stand for a single tax system
for all commodities ferried from Zanzibar to Mainland,” said Samia.
She said given the fact of economic instability,
Zanzibar has put in place tax reliefs on some imports such as food and
vehicles.
However, she said Zanzibar imports which were
exempted from tax need to be taxed whenever they are shipped to the
Mainland market, noting that the move aims to ensure fair competition in
the market.
Ms Samia insisted that the standards used by the
Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) to calculate tax due, were those
accepted by the East Africa Community (EAC).
Adding that there wasn’t even a single case of
businessmen who managed to back their claims that their imports were
taxed twice with vivid evidence.
“Motor vehicles imported through Zanzibar were
taxed differently from those imported through Mainland ports. This is a
reason why TRA charges Zanzibar levied tax deficiency to lay the one
carpet in the field of trade and economy,” said minister Samia.
The minister also noted that some unscrupulous
business people buy goods at cheap prices from Zanzibar for the purpose
of gaining a substantially high profit.
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