Bipa streamlines duty collection system

THE Business and Intellectual Property Authority (Bipa) has streamlined its business registration services to ensure that clients can easily submit their annual returns and pay their annual duties.

This was recently announced by Bipa spokesperson Ockert Jansen.

According to Jansen, Bipa has experienced various challenges in respect of annual duty collections from established businesses.

He said the authority’s current process of issuing business entities monthly statements makes it easier for such businesses to effect payment against the invoiced amounts.

“Bipa also launched its yearly Annual Duty Campaign for 2021, titled ‘Good Standing makes Good Business’. The objective of the campaign is to improve compliance by business owners and to ensure such entities remain in good standing,” he said.

Jansen said in terms of the laws regulating business registration, each business is required to lodge with Bipa, at the end of their financial year, a full annual return and to pay the required annual duties – whether it is in operation or not.

He said this legal requirement applies to both close corporations and companies.

“Failure to pay annual duties may attract penalties for each month of non-payment. Bipa may also initiate a non-voluntary deregistration process, and all such entities may be subject to deregistration,” Jansen said.

Bipa’s chief executive officer, Vivienne Katjiuongua, said: “We urge business owners to act promptly when they receive their statement of accounts to avoid compounded penalties, and to prevent deregistration of their hard-earned business brands.”

Jansen said all businesses that are paid up will now qualify for a good standing certificate and may participate in national tender processes.

“This makes it easier for Namibian small and medium enterprises to do business, and to align with Bipa’s endeavour to improve its service delivery,” he said.