MRA hits the wall on Times closure: Papers out today

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Malawi News

The move by the Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA)  to seal the Times Group on Friday has seemingly hit the wall with the media group’s flagship weekend paper the Malawi News out today.

The front page of the paper reads ‘ We are still out!’.

On Friday the MRA sealed Times saying it failed to settle its tax liability that accumulated to K675, 989,316.75, taxes amounting to K504, 962,332.87 and penalties that have gone together with interest amounting to K171, 006,983.89.

Malawi News
Malawi News out today.

MRA claims that Times Group has been shunning paying tax since January 2011 to March 2016 a statement that is contrary to Times Group editor in Chief George Kasakula’s confession that the media has been paying its revenues monthly.

Initially, Times Group had stopped all operations, including broadcasting on live broadcasts on Times Radio and Times Television, and production work on Malawi News, which comes out on Saturday.

But right now the papers are in the streets of Malawi.

On Friday night, Times was reportedly granted an order restraining MRA from shutting down the media group.

At the moment Times television is stuck with a DSTV alert about AFCON games with the BBC news running in the background while the Times Radio keeps playing music.

However Kasakula says  the media house has been paying its revenues monthly.

Kasakula added that MRA failed to negotiate with Times Group on the amount given as tax to be paid as they argued that they have been paying tax to the government.

Tit for tat: Govt closes Times Group!

“MRA has seized our offices over taxes and yet we have been paying taxes every month. It is impunity and lawlessness on the part of the government. Just imagine, they came with a notice yesterday and, instead of offering us a chance for negotiations as they do in such cases — as you know that sometimes their figures can be wrong and you negotiate — they came 12 hours later to seize our property,” Kasakula was quoted by the media house’s website on Friday afternoon.

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60 Comments

  1. Zachamba bass a MRA munandilanda Honda yanga m’malo molimbana ndi galimoto munditenge boh ndi za kuphulisa ni kkkkkk

  2. This is politically error kma ife sitisiya kumvera times debate kmanso kuonera hot current ndi Bryan Banda

  3. MRA has become a tool for intimidating private media houses,ok,mukulephela maizegate ya Chaponda akupondeleza amphawi!!Shatappp!!!!

  4. Politicians dodge but steal tax. Akanat amafusa kut upereka or ayi mmmmm msokho oti phwyo.lutpo. ndi awa aPonda angonyambita ? My rubish

  5. If u claim 4 equity make sure that your house is in order. Shld traffic Police department stop enforcing traffic laws on the road because their officers r alleged to b corrupt? Times Group must do its work while complying to the Laws of the land. Don’t seek sympathy coz non tax compliance is an offence n u can consult your ligal counsel on this.

  6. We Malawians are fortunate to have an impartial and independent Judiciary that is protecting ordinary people. Even the state president is not immune to orders of the Courts under Section 91 of the constitution.

  7. apapa bvuto ndi loti ambirife sitisangalala munthu akamanena ooo kupanga chilungamo. A MRA akuonesesa kuti pakhale chilungamo popereja misonkho mwawaukiraso mwati za ndale kodi mesa malamulo athu amawapasa mphabvu bungwe limeneli kutorela misonkho. komaso silinakhazikisidwe lero ndi DPP mukuyikamba apayi tonse tudziwa bwino kuti BNPL iliso ku bwalo la milandu ndi MRA pa nkhani ina yonkhuza kusapereka misonkho ku bungweli ndye tikusankha kusaona zonsezi mwati ndale nkumati MRA inali kuti nthawi yonse. simukuona kuti BNPL ikugwirisa ntchito bwalo lamilandu potenga chiletso kuti MRA ilephele kugwira bwini ntchito zake kwinaku akuzemba kupereka misonkho. Tiyeni tikonde ziko lathu anakati andisekera ine ka shop kanga bwenzi nonse muli kumwemwetera mwati mbuzi imeneyi imathawa misonkho zoona apa zagwera ku BNPL nonse mwati zosakana kuthawa chowona mukuchiona bwanji

    1. Zikuwonetsa kuti mutu wako ulibe memory yabwino.10 billion ya chaponda and 1.4 b ya nyasa,ikuwopsa ndi iti?ndipo zikuchitika mu nthawi yotalika bwanji? simachimo akwamulungu awa kuti palibe laling’ono kapena lalikulu.think twice before u take acomment.

    2. lno sithawi yomutseka pakamwa mtola nkhan, awasiye atiwuze zenizeni zikucitika posawopa kt akanena radio yawo ipezeledwa cifukwa ndikutsekedwa . Osayiwala tili mu democracy

  8. Their (MRA) system was ideal in the Kamuzu era and not now. Some people are too dull to read the writing on the wall. You punish the innocent poor by charging their lifeline maize TOO much and God becomes angry, and this is what happens. It is now God fighting for the poor. Your loss is written all over the wall. Can’t you see what has happened to America? Trump will be sworn in in 6 days time!!!!!!

  9. Koma lero ma guys apanga dollar, mmene anthu akugulira manyuzi ngati achita kupangana, Viva Times, wina ku state house akuwerengaso hahahaha your a laughing sitoko

  10. Kkkkk kkkkk koma pamalawi kkkkk ndikusekatu osati kukondwa koma kumva chisoni ndiumbuli omwe uli mdziko muno, koma chomwe simukuenela kuiwala ndiichi anthu alero sianthu amene nunkawadziwa chama 90s & panopa zonse zomwe mukupanga zikumadziwika inu musanazituletse. koma zandikhudza MRA mpaka kukatseka ma office a times Group coz ikuuza anthu zoona pankhani yakatangale wachimanga? Dzuwani kuti walowa mkutu sikatuluka inu tsekani mwapanga zofuna bambo wanuyo koma ife tadziwabe chilungamo chankhani nde musakhale ngati kuti zinachitika mumdima Munena ndipo simunati

  11. The best MRA could have done to appear not politically motivated was to seal all properties who owes it money including Ndata Farm which owes Malawians 1.4 BILLION kwacha in unpaid encumbrances

  12. Am Not Surprised Thats What A Childish Government Wud Do, Always Wanting To Threaten The Media Houses This Wont Work Pliz We All Know Abt #Maizegate, Thanks To Times, ACB better turn to a tearoom

  13. I hope an injuction is a temporary relief, wat if it is removed? who will be at the receiving end of the barell? Politics aside its only Head of state and VP who are exempted from paying tax. If you live in aglass house ….

    1. Nzowawa employees from the company are deducted PAYE every month, aftr tht they meet VAT in the street, and today if the state of affairs remain the same they will suffer, coz it might be closed yet they were deducted in full PAYE. and only yesterday the company may have lost millions coz of no business at all. wat if its a week, i

    2. If you live in glass…..so what? This is a corrupt thinking! Because Times had arrears with MRA, a government arm, hence they should not have exposed government underdealings in the maizegate? Do feel for the rural poor? Or to you as long as your stomach is full that is what it matters to you? People are complaining of hunger because the price you put for the lifeline maize is too much. If you bought maize from Zambia ‘ADMARC’ the price would have been lower for the majority to afford. Right now people are waiting for the downward revision of maize price, this is what they want to hear, not the outcome of the commission and not the resignation of somebody! But the price of the staple maize must go down!

    3. Inu omwe mukuti mukuyakhulila amphawi mwayamba liti tchito imeneyi? Best way agopita akapereke tax basi. Kodi akamati boma likulephera kupanga ichi ndi icho iwo asakupereka tax ndiye amati boma litenga kuti ndalama? No politics akalipile basi even us we r paying.

    4. @ #Enoch_Mossolin; akalipire tax and #Chaponda akayibeso in form of #maizegate hahaha muziganiza mwakuya baba #Enoch

  14. we are still out..kkk I like de heading smoke dem kumene abisalako atuluke ndizinsine amaona ngati malawi tinabwereka kwagogo awo nanuso aMRA boma likangosintha adzakuingani mwatailira ngati udindo wa muyaya mulira nose ndimanyaka akukutumanio

  15. Under poitical infuence, who cant detect this considering hw the media house blew the maizegate saga? I hear it dates back to 2011, where was MRA all this long? Is it only Times Group with arrears in the country? Dont the tax collecting body negotiate and map out on how to remit while the business is going on? Some one some where master minded this. Yes much as I acknowledge the need to pay tax, though am a lay man in these tax issues, round table discussion would have done better. The very same government is owes the privte sector huge millions of kwachas yet it is not being cornerd to foot the bill. Who is fooling who here? Umachotsa chitsotso kaye mmaso mwako usanatero mwa mzako. (U first remove a log in your eye before you remove a speck into a friend’s eye)

  16. at the moment Times television is stuck with a DSTV alert of AFCON games with the BBC news running in the background……hahaha ka announcement kakutitchingiladi aka

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