Too much for media freedom…we should all pay our taxes

Jan 13, 2017 Opinion 75
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Times

Times should not have been closed. Especially not now when it has been busy unravelling the corrupt syndicate that is being presided over by the anointed Peter Mutharika successor, George Chaponda.

The closure of Times, in all honesty, has come at a wrong time and it smacks of a well calculated political move that aims at gagging the media.

Times
Sealed for avoiding to pay tax

Of course gagging the media it looks like but on a deeper sober level, it is more than gagging the media that has happened at Times Group Limited.

When my friend came this morning in my office and screamed that government has started gagging the media and the closure of Times was a perfect example, I asked him a simple question:

Was Times really paying the taxes?

Eventually the answer was no. Times has not been paying taxes. It has been evading them. In a way, the institution was stealing from the public by deferring payments. If you are really unkind, Times would be placed in the same category as the Mphwiyos of this world, the Chapondas. In brief, it is like the same people it has been urging us to crucify. It is a perfect irony.

Someone who thinks that the state should up its socks in service delivery should have been in the forefront of paying the taxes for the service delivery. Not with Times. For them they were just expecting that government will keep taxing my small consultancy while they go scot free. Yet tomorrow they would be at the neck of government for electricity failures, poor education standards, bad infrastructure. With which money did they expect government to fund such projects?

The statement from MRA reads that Times has been in tax evasion since 2011. Forgive my ignorance but how did they survive all these years?

To me, that survival looks like a case of corruption and patronage. How does one survive for six years plus without really coming upfront with the taxes? I beg this case be properly investigated. While it is being investigated, I will also move the Courts to have the institution suspended from performing any duties. The same way the CSOs have done with Chaponda. It only sounds fair.

It is sad really that Times has been closed down while it was atop a hot scandal that has the propensity of shaping our political future but to hide behind Mutharika and the DPP being anti-media freedom is really overstretching the argument.

I think on this issue the starting point should be: was Times paying its taxes?

If the answer is yes then surely we should stone the DPP but if the answer is no, then spare me the nonsense. Pay the taxes first. We should all take a part in contributing to the development of this country. Not just by talking but contributing financially, through taxes.

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75 Comments

  2. Even if times was to ask the general public to pay the debt? It was going to be raised within 48 hrs. They know their art. Corrupt fools that’s what they are

  4. Bravo to writer indeed this is nosense for times not to pay tax but busy pointing finger at government for failure to deliver…we dont need organisation like times if we wnt malawi to develop…

  9. Kkkkkk nanunso a times mwandichititsa manyazi bwanji kumakamba nkhani pamene nanunso ndi modzi mwayiwo obwezeletsa chitukuko mbuyo kusapeleka tax

  12. akulephera kupereka msonkho koma akufuna boma Likonze mavuto alipo panowa.apereke basi freedom of speech isakhale njira yothawira msonkho,osaiwala paja mike appel and gatto anaiitsekanso and times media group inali busy kunena za izi

  18. The ones who closed the times group studios is not the DPP lead goverment bt The MRA

  20. Koma people take a note, yemwe watseka ma studio a times si peter kapena DPP ayi koma ndi bungwe lotolera mitsonkho la MRA ndiye tisamanyoze boma

  23. Malawians must stop funding CHAPONDA and his dpp in form of so called tax. who is benefiting from taxes if not Chaponda and dpp fellows???

  26. M R A sinalakwitse kutseka ma studio a times amangodziwa kuwawata koma asanalipile tax? aziona.

  30. TIMES umakonda kuchita report za ena nanga bwanji suunkafalitsa nkhani yoti ukulephera kulipira msonkho?hahahahaaaa zikachitika timvera ku MRA!

  33. BREAKING NEWS…..Blantyre High Court has granted an Injunction to Times group against MRA. Mawa Times group is back in business. Viva democracy

  37. how can aboss worry so much for taxes?Mr muthalika you’re full of lt ok we are already poor and you took everything for us so what did this media do to deserve this

  41. According to steven kapoloma said that according to steven kapoloma he said that “it has been closed jst bcoz they didn’t pay taxes en its MRA not whoever u think en its not concerning politics as u r saying some of u

  42. basi puttin times to silence. …A malawi anayamba kuziwa zithu zomwe samayenela kuziwa…thy want u to seat back n watch Mbc tv…crazy eish…God help us all! 🙁

  43. If it’s the issue of taxes, it’s unfortunate,I thought as a well organized company have the team which look into this tax issues,u r supposed to be in forefront complying to this,if it’s just a tit for tat game on maizegate saga spilled it’ll be a sad thing to happen and by my party,I hate hearing or seeing this lovely party engage in pig fight with distractors,coz they’ll lose nothing what they want z to turnish DPP’s name.

  51. where was gvt all this time knowingly that Times owes them such a huge amount of money…ndale za umbuli izii!! # ma floods sangathe choncho

    1. it does not matter as to where the govt was, the msg in this post is clear ” he who comes to equity must come with clean hands”

    2. but luk @ the timing of the whole thing & how do you expect malawians to belive that the dvt is not perpetuated by political will just to frustrate Times publications?

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