HARARE - Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) has instituted an investigation into salaries and allowances paid to Zimbabwe Broadcasting Authority (ZBC) bosses and directors to ascertain whether they paid taxes in full.
The inquiry by the tax collector follows the placement of the public broadcaster’s top management on forced leave by Information minister Jonathan Moyo and sacking of its Cuthbert Dube-led board.
Zimra in January, according to documents in possession of the Daily News, sent a letter to the public broadcaster demanding access to documents such as payslips, employment contracts and payment schedules of various allowances paid out to its top management.
“Schedules of payment in respect of housing allowance paid to executive’s management from February 2009 to December 2013, schedule/yearly summaries in respect of fuel issued to the executives management from February 2009 to December 2013, schedule of payment actually made to ZBC on behalf of the executives towards housing loans with CBZ as well as housing loans scheme document for executive,” Zimra said in a letter to ZBC.
“I confirm that the information you provide will only be used for the purposes of fulfilling the provisions of the Income Tax Act (Chapter 23:06) and other acts which the authority administers.”
ZBC bosses, according to the Information ministry, drew outrageous salaries totalling over $800 000 per month, while the organisation faced various operational challenges.
ZBC chief executive, Happison Muchechetere was found to have been drawing a monthly salary of $40 000 per month while workers went for more than six months without pay, bringing his total earnings since 2009 until his December suspension at $2,28 million.
His salary included $3 000 as entertainment allowance, a $2 500 allowance to pay his domestic workers, $3 500 for housing allowance and $3 000 as a general allowance.
Muchechetere, who is now on unpaid leave, is reported to have written to his employer demanding salary arrears of over $320 000 for the nine months to December 2013, while objecting to his conditions of suspension.