2023-11-09 09:29:08
Despite the reforms initiated by the OBR, including digitalization, to fight against fraud, the latter continues to plague the country. The Minister of Finance denounces the complicity of certain employees of this Office. For Olucome, digitalization is not enough. Rather, what is needed is a well-consolidated national integrity system.
“Our commercial activity is sometimes hampered by certain traders who engage in fraud. We work at a loss because we cannot sell at the same price as someone who has not paid customs clearance fees for their goods,” lament the traders encountered in certain markets of the economic capital.
These traders point out the complicity of certain OBR agents who turn a blind eye to fraud. For these traders, the OBR should sanction all those who facilitate or practice tax evasion. And to add: “ We consider fraudsters to be criminals. They are enemies of development. They must be punished according to the law. »
Furthermore, these traders also denounce some of their colleagues who do not issue the invoice to buyers as required by the OBR. They call it tax fraud. “ With each invoice, you have to pay taxes, and not giving it to buyers constitutes tax evasion “, they point out. They recommend that OBR agents use verification to track down offenders.
Some OBR employees indexed
« We spoke with OBR employees to show them the different forms of fraud that are currently being identified and which are tarnishing the image of the OBR despite the fact that it does a good job,” said Audace Niyonzima, Minister of Finance, during a meeting held Tuesday, October 31 with OBR staff.
The Minister of Finance spoke of cheating in invoicing, verification and in the awarding of contracts. “There are still employees who are complicit in fraud at the level of customs, internal taxes and accounting”he lamented.
He warned these employees who engage in fraud while specifying that state institutions, such as the Ministry of Public Security, Justice, Finance and the decentralized administration, have taken coercive measures to combat fraud.
Asked about the persistence of fraud despite the measures taken including digitalization, Mr. Niyonzima said that electronic invoicing has brought added value while welcoming the fact that VAT collection and tax compliance are improving.
However, he regretted, there are still traders who do not want to respect this electronic invoice. “They continue to reduce the prices on the invoice to declare less taxes. We will continue to fight against these acts so that taxpayers improve their tax compliance by paying all taxes.”
As for the management of goods seized in a fraud situation, the Minister of Finance indicates that the law allows them to be sold at auction: “Currently the first measure that is practiced is to seize and confiscate the goods that are caught and sell them at auction. The proceeds from the sale are paid into the public treasury. »
As a second measure, Minister Audace Niyonzima plans to apply the criminal provisions repressing fraud: “ We will punish fraudsters and OBR employees who are complicit in fraud by applying the criminal provisions that punish acts of economic instability or theft. »
Note that the meeting of the Minister of Finance with the staff of the OBR followed a declaration by the Head of State, during the inauguration of the new governor of the province of Muramvya, Wednesday October 25.
President Ndayishimiye revealed that“at least 3 fraudsters unmasked every 2 days Burundisome in complicity with OBR employees and 50 judgments are rendered in one month.”
He deplored the behavior of people, including certain public administration executives, who enrich themselves illicitly following bad practices linked to fraud and corruption.
“Digitalization is not enough”
Gabriel Rufyiri, president of the Observatory for the fight against corruption and economic embezzlement (Olucome), deplores the fact that there is still trial and error in digitalization. However, he recognizes, digitalization is one of the factors which will replenish state coffers but also fight against corruption and fraud.
But, he observes, digitalization alone is not enough. And for good reason, he wishes to point out, there has been no effectiveness of the measures taken in the fight against corruption. And remember that fraud is one of the offenses related to corruption.
For this civil society activist, fraud persists because there is no national integrity system that functions normally. A system, he explains, which must include the executive, public administration, judiciary, legislature, opposition political parties, civil society and the media.
Today, regrets Mr. Rufyiri, there is, for example, no investigative journalism on burning issues, even less in-depth investigations on the side of civil society.
Strategies are needed
Gabriel Rufyiri: “There is persistence of fraud because there is no national integrity system”
Gabriel Rufyiri highlights a notorious weakness in the national integrity system, especially at the level of justice and administration. It proposes profound reforms in all sectors, following the example of countries like Mauritius, Ghana and Botswana which have succeeded in establishing a consolidated national integrity system.
« If Burundi really wants things to change in the fight against fraud, it must carry out profound reforms with a view to establishing a national integrity system. before continuing: “ It is at this level that digitalization, administrative efficiency and independent justice will be a reality. »
This pioneer in the fight against corruption indexes certain public officials who, according to him, do not want this national integrity system to be established because they derive some advantages in their position.
“We need preventive and repressive measures”
Rufyiri recommends the fight against fraud by starting by tracking down the “big fish” and not the small traders who often do it for the sake of survival: “ We are shown the fraudulent loincloths coming from the DRC and Rwanda. Burundians who smuggle beans to Rwanda. Goods that do not bring colossal sums. But we don’t show fraudulent sugar trucks. People who defraud minerals in terms of tonnes but who are not fought. »
He said that there are three categories of people who participate in fraud, namely traders, state officials and smugglers.
For him, these people cannot be fought without preventive measures. “ Among these measures, there is the declaration of assets by political representatives, the establishment of the high court of justice which is absent until now “, he emphasizes. And to conclude: “ As long as there is no fight against corruption, it will be difficult to fight fraud. »
Par Felix Haburiakira (Our Country)
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