The
Ministry of Information and Communication Infrastructure, and the Gambia Press
Union have expressed concerned over the closure of Daily Observer newspaper by
the Gambia Revenue Authority.
On
Wednesday, 14 June 2017, the GRA ordered the Daily Observer to cease operations
with immediate effect for failing to comply with its tax obligation resulting
to the company owing accumulated tax arrears of D17 million.
In
separate statements issued by the ministry and the press union, the two bodies
called for dialogue and negotiations with a view to resolve the matter for the
newspaper to resume operations.
Below
we publish the two statements verbatim.
MoICI:
The
Ministry of Information and Communication Infrastructure has learnt with
concern the “temporary” closure of the Daily Observer newspaper by the Gambia
Revenue Authority (GRA) due to its non-compliance with its tax obligations.
The
Ministry however wishes to reiterate that the closure has nothing to do with the
paper’s editorial policy, but it is as a result of the Observer Company’s
failure to pay over D17 million tax arrears that it is owing to the GRA despite
several reminders.
The
Ministry has been reliably informed that in the past, the GRA had reached an
agreement for a payment plan but the Observer Company had failed to honour its
own part of the agreement.
Therefore,
the GRA was relying on the powers conferred on it by Section 215 of the Income
and Value-Added Tax Act 2012 which gives it the authority to temporarily close
down any persist defaulter.
The
GRA has however expressed the hope that the temporary closure would open a
window of opportunity to renegotiate a way forward with the Observer Company
with a view to settling the outstanding arrears.
Once
again, the Ministry regrets the action and will be working towards an amicable
resolution of the impasse that would enable the Daily Observer resume
operations as soon as possible.
GPU:
The
Gambia Press Union (GPU) is deeply concerned about the closure of the Daily
Observer Company by the Gambia Revenue Authority (GRA).
On
Wednesday June 14, 2017, the GRA ordered the Daily Observer to cease operations
with immediate effect.
The
GPU has since engaged both the management of the Daily Observer and the senior
management of GRA, including the Commissioner General, Yankuba Darboe.
The
authorities at both GRA and Daily Observer have confirmed that the closure
resulted from the newspaper’s failure to pay tax overtime.
However,
the GPU is of the considered view that the closure of the Daily Observer is
regrettable and impairs freedom of expression in The Gambia.
While
GRA might have acted within the country’s tax laws, the GPU urges the tax
authorities to explore other ways of settling the matter.
Moreover,
the Union believes that the impact of this measure by GRA is disproportionate
as the harm that the closure causes to free expression and welfare of
journalists outweigh the benefits.
The
shutdown has rendered more than hundred media workers jobless and puts the
company in a difficult position to respect its tax obligations.
While
working to bring the two parties to dialogue and work out a realistic payment
plan, the GPU is appealing to the GRA to allow the Daily Observer to resumes
operations immediately.
The
Union also reminds The Gambia government of its obligations to create a
favourable environment for freedom of expression, and therefore urges the
government to as a matter of urgency move to review the tax regime imposed on
the media in the country.
Signed
Secretary
General, GPU
