Jacques Bigirimana, Managing Director of Burundi Tea Office says tea customers have boycotted Burundi tea following the political crisis that has erupted in the country over the past few years. “Some of our customers are very selective about our tea due to political reasons arguing that it is not the same as before,” he said that during the field visit that the Commissioner General of Burundi Revenue Authority undertook this 22 November to Burundi Tea Office-OTB.
Audace Niyonzima, OBR Commissioner General visiting Burundi Tea Office
Jacques Bigirimana referred to customers from European countries. “For Africans, Indians and Chinese customers, nothing has changed,” he says. For him, the political crisis that broke out in 2015 has affected Burundi Tea Office and its production.
He, however, says OTB has collected taxes on profits equivalent to BIF 4,521 billion in 2017 and other revenues were used in investments which allowed OTB to collect BIF 2,138 billion on the dividend taxes. “We expect to pay about BIF 400 million as taxes on dividends to Burundi Revenue Authority,” he says.
Audace Niyonzima, Commissioner General of Burundi Revenue Authority says Burundi Tea Office is among three major taxpayers in the country. “It regularly pays its taxes and is in conformity with the fiscal law,” he says.
Mr. Niyonzima also says the visit was made to be aware of the real situation of taxpayers on the ground. “We need to know where the taxes collected come from. We collect taxes and rarely do we think about visiting the taxpayers on the field,” says Niyonzima.
The visit is among the activities planned by OBR in the preparation of the taxpayers’ Day which will be celebrated in Makamba province on December 5.
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