2merkato

The Ethiopian Revenue and Custom Authority allowed 12.3 billion birr in duty free privileges in the last two quarters of the fiscal year in Ethiopia.

The duty privileges amounts to 35.3% of the total revenue raised by the authority in the last six months according to Efrem Mekonnen, Head of the Communications Department with ERCA.

ERCA extends duty free privileges to members of the diplomatic community and investors in pre specified strategic sectors.

The Ethiopian Revenues and Customs Authority discovered millions in unpaid back taxes through its continued investigation of oil companies. Unpaid taxes from Total Ethiopia and National Oil Company have particularly been identified according to sources.

Total has paid 11.9 million birr of the 23.9 million that it was required to pay in unpaid VAT and withholding tax. It is contesting the remaining 12 million birr said sources.  The authority determined the amount it was owed based on payments made for technical services. This is in transgression of the tax law which designates that all payments in consideration of any kind of technical services or expert advice rendered outside of Ethiopia in any form shall be liable to tax at a flat rate of 10pc, which shall be withheld and paid to the tax authority. 

The Revenues and Customs Authority of Ethiopia has requested that all Non Governmental Organizations to submit their service and goods procurement lists for the past four years.

ERCA has requested that the NGOs received a letter from the authority with an attached form to deliver the requested information according to sources. The organizations are expected to deliver the information within a month.

The NGOs are expected to state the name of their suppliers for goods and services procured in the past four years along with their tax identification number. The authority requires all goods and services procured in the country and imports to be filled out on the form with the full information of the providers.

Ethiopian Road Authority (ERA) has awarded four road projects worth 4.8 billion Birr to local and foreign companies, Capital reported.

The Ethiopian Road Fund announced it has collected some $82 million (over 2.89 billion birr) in revenues in the Ethiopian fiscal year that ended July 7, 2020. The figure was collected from road funds, tariffs on lubricants, oil and petroleum, vehicle license renewal fees, and from the procurement of treasury bills.