Motor vehicle
importers who are embroiled in a smuggling racket which is alleged to have
prejudiced the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) millions of dollars by
avoiding customs duty have requested for an extension on the deadline for them
to avail the cars to the tax collector.
In a notice published last week, the tax collector ordered
hundreds of car importers to report at its head offices no later than last
Saturday with the listed vehicles for “registration verification” and also
avail import documentation for the vehicles.
The tax collector is investigating a scam in which it
suspects to have lost millions of dollars in a tight-knit vehicle smuggling
scam which was a result of either Zimra officials conniving to undercharge
customs duty for the import of such vehicles or outright incompetence by these
officials.
“The Commissioner-General of the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority
is hereby notifying the owners of vehicles listed below to visit Zimra loss
control offices at ZB Centre corner First Street and Kwame Nkrumah in Harare
for vehicle registration verification,” reads the Zimra statement released
yesterday.
“The vehicle owners are instructed to bring the vehicle
together with all customs clearance documents pertaining to their vehicles not
later than November 23, 2019,” said the taxman.
In response, the importers through the Pre-Owned Car
Dealers Association of Zimbabwe (POCDAZ), have written to the tax collector
requesting that the due date be extended as some of them are resident out of
Harare and that some of the vehicles in question had since been sold hence the
need to liaise with the new owners.
“We write to inform you that our clients are not all
presently in Harare and they are still in the process of bringing the requisite
paperwork and documentation,” wrote the importers through their lawyers Gunje
Legal Practice.
“We therefore kindly seek your indulgence to extend the
deadline to Friday November 29, 2019,” reads their letter a copy of which The
Herald Finance and Business has had sight of.
The Herald has been advised that, the scam which ran
for several years, has left Zimra employees exposed on how they processed
“Custom Clearance Certificates” for the motor vehicles in question despite them
not paying the correct prescribed customs duty.
There are also questions on how staff would calculate
customs duty below the prescribed rate. Sources within POCDAZ have also
confided in this publication that Zimra could be set for a “big pay day” as a
decision has been made by the association that all those that will be found to
have benefited from the under declarations should settle their obligations with
Zimra. Herald
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