Businesses with unpaid taxes keep getting Gov't contracts- Hon Turnbull
While making his contribution to the budget debate at the House of Assembly (HoA) on Monday, December 14, 2020, Hon Turnbull said employees are the ones being affected.
Some of the policies to renew work permits for expatriates include getting a Certificate of Good Standing from the National Health Insurance (NHI) and Social Security as well as a certificate of earnings from the Inland Revenue Department.
“We heard the Minister for Finance and the Minister for Labour talk about the different fees and requirements for persons on work permit. And, we note that while persons are busy since August or September of this year, employees busy up and down running trying to go to NHI, Social Security and Inland Revenue to get a Good Standing Certificate so that they can be approved to continue to legally live and work in this territory, they are continuously met with the fact that they cannot get one because the employers who have been taking and deducting Inland Revenue, NHI, Social Security taxes have not been paying it to the agencies,” he pointed out.
He added: “And, the people are being told that they have to go to the employer to try and have it work out and then on the flip side of that when they cannot get it worked out, here’s immigration on them, telling them they have to leave.”
Hon Turnbull said that should not be the responsibility of the employee to do.
He explained: “Those agencies should be responsible for collecting the necessary taxes on behalf of these employees and paying them in, make sure they are paid in.”
Some business owners not being pursued for taxes
Turnbull said, on the other side, there are some business owners who are getting away with unpaid taxes.
“You have business owners who owe government and who owe taxes, hundreds of thousands of dollars and yet when you look government contract there, government contract there, going left, right and centre. And, we think this is right Mr Speaker? But, the people who work and try to pay their taxes when them late, them getting penalised but not a man calling the one who outstanding.”
He continued: “Mr Speaker, we serious? You know John Brown owes hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxes, they ain't paid NHI since NHI come in but could be awarded this contract, consultancy here, consultancy there for this ministry, for that ministry, and think people aren't seeing? Mr Speaker, we got to do better, we must do better. It’s not right.”
The Opposition Member said if these business owners should receive contracts, the taxes owed should be deducted.
“Not that I continue to owe and I get paid, and I continue to owe more, and I don’t pay, and nobody wants to address it or talk to you because you are so and so what his name cousin, brother or whatever the case may be. We cannot continue to do this,” Hon Turnbull argued.
17 Responses to “Businesses with unpaid taxes keep getting Gov't contracts- Hon Turnbull”
Bien dicho señor el empleador es el responsable de esa deuda descuentan el seguro el tax y no lo depositan donde tienen que enviarlo
It happens all the time in there. Yet they deny others for owing a paltry $1,000.
They are getting some in of the biggest contracts and not paying anything . They are not even paying in for their employees much less, but say one say two the elected officials cannot do anything because they are in the same boat not paying any taxes so how could they go to someone else and tell them to pay up, it have to first start with those in authority
Your luck soon run out.
LOL!
All of you all do the same keep givin the rich man more and the poor suffering. Hush ur @#$%%%
It needs plastering it looks like he did not even use a vibrator. On the top of it looks rough with gravel stone where is the pride and public works who oversaw this project. Something like that looking so incomplete would never be built around any police station in a country that has pride.