March 3, 2021 Phillip Pasula-Nyasa Times 14 Comments
As rampant smuggling of different products threatens to cripple the local manufacturing industry, economics professor at the Polytechinic a constituent college of the Universityh of Malawi Betchani Tchereni, has urged government to seriously consider strong measures that can help to curb the malpractice.
Betchani Tchereni: It is when the cost of smuggling is lower than the cost of bringing goods the right way that people resort to smuggling
Of late, there has been a sharp rise in smuggling of items like wheat flour, cooking oil, fizzy drinks and wrappers, passing through Karonga, Mulanje, Ntcheu, Dedza, Thyolo and Mchinji districts.
February 24, 2021 Phillip Pasula-Nyasa Times 6 Comments
Local manufacturing companies for cooking oil are now feeling the pinch of smuggled products resulting from serious influx of the commodity and just like a good number of rural areas, Blantyre City has not been spared.
The smuggled oil
A random survey conducted by
Nyasa Times reveals that markets such as Limbe, Bangwe, Mbayani, Chilomoni, Chirimba and Ndirande townships in the city of Blantyre are selling smuggled cooking oil willy-nilly, claiming it is cheap.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, an agent in Ndirande said they buy smuggled cooking oil from Mozambique to sustain their business.
Malawi: Trader Faults Malawi Revenue Authority On VAT for Cooking Oil
15 December 2020
One of the local companies has faulted Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) for accusing cooking oil manufactures of increasing the price by 30% following the introduction of the Value Added Tax (VAT) on the commodity.
Recently, MRA officials, said the increase in prices of cooking oil by manufacturers should not be related to the re-introduction of 16.5 percent VAT on the essential commodity.
One of the traders, who did not want to be mentioned before they present their grievances to MRA, said the increase in price of the refined cooking oil is related to the increase of crude oil on the international market as well as re-introduction of VAT.
December 15, 2020 Nyasa Times Reporter 18 Comments
One of the local companies has faulted Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) for accusing cooking oil manufactures of increasing the price by 30% following the introduction of the Value Added Tax (VAT) on the commodity.
The Vat will not only make local refined cooking oil unaffordable but also open the floodgates for smuggled cooking oil making Malawi a dumping ground, thereby defeating the purpose of being productive and exporting.
Recently, MRA officials, said the increase in prices of cooking oil by manufacturers should not be related to the re-introduction of 16.5 percent VAT on the essential commodity.
One of the traders, who did not want to be mentioned before they present their grievances to MRA, said the increase in price of the refined cooking oil is related to the increase of crude oil on the international market as well as re-introduction of VAT.