Some legal practitioners in the country have been found wanting
in meeting tax obligations to government through greatly undervaluing their
earnings to evade full tax payment.
The latest report of
the Commission of Inquiry into Tax Evasion and other Corrupt Practices has
revealed that just ten lawyers have denied the government more
than D20.7 million in revenue, an amount they should have paid as tax but
failed to do as a result of under-declaration of income earned.
After four months of investigations, the Tax Commission has
revealed that most of the people found wanton were greatly under-declaring
their income earned over the years, with many lawyers falling under this
category.
Justice
Mama Fatima Singhateh, chairperson of the Commission, explained how the
Commission came to this conclusion. “Our methodology for reaching this
conclusion is based on their seniority at the bar and their fair market value
(as defined in Section 4 of the Income and Sales Tax Act) of the services
provided in this field.
