By Abdoulie Nyockeh
The head of Gambia Chamber of Commerce and Industry [GCCI], Mr. Edrissa Mass Jobe, has reflected on wide range of issues relating to the year 2019, notably the need for taxation in the country’s economy.
Delving into issues of the immediate past year, President Jobe of the GCCI, termed taxation as the key economy driver of any meaningful development of a country.
In a recent media interview, Jobe indicated that the essence of taxation to government couldn’t be underestimated in the sense that moneys collected from the taxpayers are always ploughed back to the community in the form of development programmes or projects.
The GCCI boss, who spoke on some of the developments, concerns and challenges in 2019, stressed the need for big business companies to fulfill their tax obligations to the state, as that would enable the government to take care of its programmes or activities. Jobe pointed out that a good company should be judged according to the number of people it’s employed.
He argued they believe payment of tax should be transparent, and that every month, the media should be able to make a follow-up in ensuring that people in government are held accountable to their tax obligations.
“We need to set the example, as business operators and government, and then, the community will follow-up as tax should be everybody’s concern for any developing nation.” Jobe disclosed that the Chamber is now more involved in ensuring that its members are also paying their taxes, so that the government and the community could be very strong.
He opined that a good business should be measured by: the amount of tax they are paying; and also the number of people they have employed.
Jobe said, “I am very happy that this Network of Financial and Tax reporters is formed to create more awareness about people who are paying tax or non-taxpayers.”
The GCCI president noted also that for the year 2019, the biggest elephant in the room was the African Continental Free Trade that was signed, and “we think at the level of the Chamber, that African Continental Free Trade was meant for The Gambia, Senegal and ECOWAS”.
To Jobe, they should focus on better enhancing free trade between their sub-regional nations and ensure less barriers on their roads. As a result, for the first time, the GCCI had organized the Senegambia Economic Forum, recalled Jobe.
During that forum, he noted, a lot of things were identified and the biggest issue raised was the unnecessary barriers or stops at the check-points on the roads between the Gambia and Senegal. One of the recommendations in 2020, is to remove all those barriers and allow people to flow freely without unnecessary check-points.
Jobe echoed the importance of ensuring the free movement of goods and people, saying they think that the Gambia has to be “courageous, and we blame Senegal for not accepting Gambian goods to go into Senegal”.
He also dilated on chicken business in the two countries, noting that in Senegal, “everybody is engaged” in chicken production, while Gambians couldn’t do so, because the poultry “farmers cannot sell chicken with the 30-40 dalasi {chicken} legs coming from Brazil.
He said what they are calling for is to have a common tariff levied on chicken at the border; that determines the price of chicken and also discourages high importation of chicken, in order to create better job opportunity for the Gambian youths.
Jobe also recommended that in 2020, government should ensure not to give out our limited land free- of-charge; should endeavor to sell the land to a serious business companies or people, so that the country could generate some development. He added that the land should be auctioned rather than making it free-of-charge.
The GCCI top official further wants the government to consider Gambians in the Diaspora, and at least, ensure that when they buy lands, they would have the documents within 24 hours.
He also called for the Gambia government to ensure that the National Quality Accreditation Assurance Authority is headed by private sector, indicating that the role of the private sector is to ensure business is strong, “but also that government and communities are strong”.
GCCI President Jobe observed that a successful company is led by an effective and entrepreneurial board, whose role is to promote the long-term sustainable success of the company, generating value for shareholders and contributing to wider society.
