The Confederation of Namibian Fishing Associations (CNFA) has responded to recent concerns raised by the Namibian Revenue Agency (Namra) regarding the fishing industry’s tax contribution to the country’s revenue.
Last week, during a briefing to president Hage Geingob, Namra commissioner Sam Shivute said the fishing industry contributes less than 2% in taxes.
“When one looks at their contribution, it’s not even a billion dollars. It cannot be. We need to pay special attention to this sector,” he said.
The confederation’s chairperson, Matti Amukwa, said this statement is misleading.
“We don’t know how they came up with that figure. The industry pays many different taxes, all of which go to the government. For example, the hake sector alone pays direct taxes of almost N$1 billion.
“But the statement came out to say the industry itself does not pay enough taxes,” he said.
Amukwa said the fishing sector makes various statutory payments, including quota levies, Marine Resources Fund levies, Fisheries Observer Agency levies, Namibia Training Authority levies, export levies, Namibia Standards Institute levies, and marine by-catch levies.
Amukwa said Namra made the statement without first consulting or understanding the intricacies of the fishing industry’s operations.
“CNFA stands ready to engage Namra to clarify the situation concerning the industry’s contribution to the fiscus and also its economic contribution to Namibia,” he said.
According to the Namibian Statistics Agency 2022 national earnings report, the industry accounted for over 14% of export earnings valued at N$10 billion, contributing to the gross domestic product (GDP).
This was equivalent to 4,5% of GDP.
During his budget motivation speech for the financial year 2023/24, the minister of fisheries and marine resources, Derek Klazen, said the fishing industry remains one of the significant contributors to economic growth, employment creation, and nutrition.
It employs over 18 000 people on fishing vessels and at land-based factories.
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