Namra and Bipa to integrate systems

The Namibia Revenue Agency (Namra) and Business and Intellectual Property Authority (Bipa) have signed an agreement to collaborate by integrating their systems.

According to the agreement signed in Windhoek yesterday, the integration of the systems will allow for easy access to information needed by both institutions.

Namra commissioner Sam Shivute said the collaboration will help solve some of the abuses that are currently in the system.

Shivute said there are instances where people have registered ghost companies that have been a front for trade-based money laundering.

“Last year, our investigation team picked up a syndicate that we call ghost companies.

You will find people, and this is happening in this country, who would register a business with Bipa and before they register that business, they will go to disadvantaged people at villages or informal settlements, get people’s identification documents, then promise those people that you are going to get some social grant or whatever,” said Shivute.

He added that working committees will be appointed.

“We are going to ensure that the working committees are appointed and they will work hard to give life and meaning to this agreement, so that we can really make sure that that is what we want to achieve, ensuring that we share the relevant information, ensuring that we make it easy for our people,” said Shivute.

Furthermore, Shivute said going forward, they will have to ensure that the systems are integrated and ‘speak’ to one another.

Bipa chief executive Vivienne Katjiuongua said the collaboration creates an administrative cooperation that is beneficial to the country, as well as to both entities, who will now be able to compare and assess financial reports by companies.

“Because both of us will be receiving financial statements from entities, that are supposed to be a reflection of what they have done for the year.

And if we are not able to at least compare or assess that, there are always gaps for people to get away with not paying their taxes or paying less than that, or operating while they are not truly registered or in good standing with the two agencies,” Katjiuongua said.

She added that companies and close corporations will see a transformation that takes into account changes that Namra has already attended to, and this will make it easy for businesses to operate in the country.

“We look forward to working together and collaborating and making sure that the [agreement] is not just a document that we park somewhere in a library, but that it’s a living document, it’s agile to change and we adapt it as we go,” said Katjiuongua.