March 1, 2018 | Daily Monitoring Report
Beileh Maintains Stand On Sales Tax As Traders Cry Foul
01 March – Source: Goobjoog News – 274 Words
Finance Minister Abdirahman Beileh has maintained traders must pay taxes just as is practice in other parts of the world but steered clear of the talks with traders. Addressing the media on Wednesday a day after traders in Mogadishu announced the tax talks with the government had collapsed, Beileh said ‘the government expects traders to meet their tax obligations without fail. The Minister added that the government needed the money to function and provide services to the public noting the execution of the 2018 budget is dependent on the citizens paying taxes. “The IMF has given us a target of $41 million through taxes between December and March this year,” said Beileh.
Traders Tuesday accused the minister of ignoring their plight leading to collapse of the talks. They also termed the tax as illegal. But Beileh reiterated the sales tax which is billed at 5% is in line with article 2 of the 1984 Revenue Act. A former finance minister and current MP Abdullahi Nur told Goobjoog News on Tuesday there was no legal basis noting tax collection in Somalia is based on negotiations.
Beileh said yesterday the taxes demanded from the traders is way below what citizens in neighbouring countries pay. “As compared to other countries in the region, ours is the lowest. For example two countries which I won’t mention charge 15% or 18% so ours is much lower.” Sales tax rate in Kenya stands at 16% while in Uganda the government takes 18% same as Tanzania. Hotels, banks and remittance companies must submit their receipts for payment of taxes by the end of the month as earlier agreed, the minister added.
Key Headlines
- Beileh Maintains Stand On Sales Tax As Traders Cry Foul (Goobjoog News)
- Government Says There Is Severe Water Shortage In Somalia (Hiiraan Online)
- Security Forces Seize Bomb Making Materials Nab Suspects In Beledweyne (Goobjoog News)
- Somali Women Mps Resolve To Push For Gender-Sensitive Laws In Parliament (AMISOM)
- Mobile Money Baffles Pastoralists In Central Somalia (Radio Ergo)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Government Says There Is Severe Water Shortage In Somalia
01 March – Source: Hiiraan Online – 116 Words
The Federal Government of Somalia has revealed that there is a severe water shortage in both urban and rural areas on Somalia. The government, according to the Minister for Water and Natural Resources Salim Aliyow Ibrow, is planning to undertake an assessment in several areas in order to undertake drilling of boreholes to avoid problems that could arise from the severe water shortage.
The Minister who gave an exclusive interview to the VOA Somali Service called on humanitarian agencies to assist on how to mitigate the problems caused by severe water shortage in the country. There is a need for water trucking to some parts where there is water shortage including Baidoa, the headquarters of the Southwest State.
Security Forces Seize Bomb Making Materials, Nab Suspects In Beledweyne
28 February – Source: Goobjoog News – 91 Words
Security officials in Beledweyne have nabbed a cache of weapons and bomb making materials following an operation on Wednesday. More than ten suspects were also arrested during the operation. According to the Goobjoog News correspondent in Beledweyne the operation targeted Buundoweyne village and was led by District Commissioner Ali Jayte and police chief Col. Ali Isaaq Abdulle thereby leading to the seizure of the weapons. “The officers displayed several weapons including guns and bomb making materials.” “The operation will continue until we restored security and peace in the area,” said Col. Abdulle.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Somali Women MPs Resolve To Push For Gender-Sensitive Laws In Parliament
28 February – Source: AMISOM – 426 Words
Somali women legislators today resolved to work together in parliament to push for laws targeting the protection of the rights of women, children and marginalized groups. The legislators from both the House of the People and Upper House made the resolution at the end of the three-day workshop, organized by the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), to train them on their legislative roles.
Some of the topics covered during the workshop were; constituency relations management, interpersonal skills for parliamentarians, networking, leadership, team-building and effective communication and enacting laws that protect human rights. Led by the Chairpersons of the Women Caucuses of the House of the People and Upper House, the parliamentarians resolved to apply the knowledge gained from the workshop to formulate bills and push for enactment of laws that will improve the lives of women and children. “We have been undergoing a three-day training which has concluded today and the objectives of the training were met, the participants from both houses achieved their goals. The training was useful,” said Shukri Aden Mohamed, the Chairperson of the Women Caucus of the Upper House.
Ms. Mohamed said the legislators were also taught how to lobby their fellow parliamentarians to support bills that will benefit their constituents. The Chairperson of the Women Caucus of the House of the People, Mina Hassan Mohamed, expressed similar sentiments, noting that the training was timely, given the number of new female parliamentarians in the August House. “The training was extremely important to us because being a parliamentarian is not only in the name but also your ability to learn,” Dr. Mohamed observed.
OPINION, ANALYSIS & CULTURE
“There are numerous other challenges facing pastoralist families in the remote rural areas. Gambe has no access to power to charge his mobile phones. It sometimes stays off for days when the battery has run down. Whenever he can he gives his phone to people travelling to Guriel to charge it, and bring it back the next day or as soon as possible,”
Mobile Money Baffles Pastoralists In Central Somalia
01 March – Source: Radio Ergo – 427 Words
The collapse of the local shilling is forcing pastoralists from remote parts of central Somalia to grapple with the use of foreign currency as well as mobile phone technology when they try to sell their livestock. In the livestock market of Guriel, nobody uses the Somali shilling any more. The US dollar is the only currency in use, and in mobile money form rather than cash. Local traders turned down the Somali shilling in different regions in central Somalia seven months ago because of the flood of counterfeit notes in circulation.
For Mohamed Farah, 70, a pastoralist, this is a huge challenge because he neither understands the value of the dollar, nor can read or write. He bought a phone for $18 several months ago using profit from the sale of some goats. But he struggles to use the phone to make mobile money transactions comfortably. Last week, he brought five goats to the market from Biyo-gadud village, 36 km south of Guriel, hoping to make a good sale.
Mohamed was offered a price in dollars which seemed far below his expectation, as he did not understand the exchange rate of the Somali shilling to the dollar. Prices in shillings seems huge as compared to the equivalent in dollars. He opted instead to swap his goats for food including flour, rice and cooking oil, reverting to an old form of barter.
For Gambe Aabi, a herder from Lafweyn, the offer of $21 for his two goats – a small figure compared to the equivalent of 700,000 shillings – seemed nothing short of an insult. He decided to take his animals all the way home, 22 km away, despite urgently needing some cash for the family. “The livestock I travelled with could not fetch as much as I expected in Somali shillings,” he told Radio Ergo. “I left my children at home who had not eaten.”
TOP TWEETS
@sntvnews1: US Sanctions Mahad Moalim, ISIS Number Two In Command In Somalia’s Puntlandhttps://sntv.so/2018/03/01/us-
@Magdashi3: #Somalia: last night Govt soldier shot dead another Rickshaw driver in #Mogadishu especially Maka Al-Mukarama road, No one arrested the killer, But Somali govt claims that Bajaj drivers are part of the insecurity of Mogadishu. according to spokesman of SPF, Qasim Ahmed Roble
@Nas_Isms: Entrepreneurs in Somalia will take up the space left open by humanitarian and development actors. Mark my words! Such an example is
@HarunMaruf: At least 40 more Somali immigrants have registered themselves with the Somali Embassy in Tripoli to be returned home, per charge de affairs Muhiyadin M Kalmoy. Only 11 returned so far despite Somali Govt effort to have them returned. An estimated 5k-6k Somali migrants are in Libya
@WariyeRooble: Update: Unknown gunmen shot dead one of the resident’s Hiliwa district identified #Omar, killers escaped the scene, Security forces investigating the accident. #Mogadishu#Somalia
@SomaliPM: Concluded my two days visit with constructive and fruitful discussions with UAE Crown Prince@MohamedBinZayed on further strengthening our long historical, cultural and commercial ties.
@newvisionwire: The Principal aim is to provide support for the Federal Government of Somalia in its efforts to stabilize the country and foster political dialogue and reconciliation#AMISOMTCCs
IMAGE OF THE DAY
Somali Prime Minister, Hassan Ali Khayre inspect a guard of honor as he concluded a two-day working visit to the United Arab Emirates.
Source: @SomaliPM