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22 Friday 07 - 13 December 2018 The Southern Times ■ TOURISM Tanzania tour operators lose hope ■ Adam Ihucha Tour operators in Tanzania are losing hope over the government’s delay to enforce the import duty exemptions on tourist vehicles as the clock ticks towards the onset of the high tourism season. During the 2018/19-budget session, Parliament amended the fifth schedule of the East African Community Customs Management Act 2004 in order to provide import duty exemption on various types of motor vehicles for transportation of tourists. Expectations were high that licensed tour operators, as from July 1, 2018, would have started importing motorcars, sightseeing buses, and overland trucks duty free, as a critical measure to spur development of the tourism industry. Tourism is a key sector of economy as it is the country’s largest foreign exchange earner raking in over US$2 billion annually, equivalent to 17 percent of the national GPD, official data indicates. But nearly 6 months later, the exemption has turned out to be an empty promise, as the government is still dragging its feet, prompting the Tanzania Association of Tour Operators (TATO) to seek clarification. TATO Chief Executive Officer, Sirili Akko, recently wrote a letter to the Minister of Finance, arguing that some tour operators were complaining about being subjected to the import duties and that some of their vehicles were stuck at ports over controversial import duty. “It is from this backdrop that TATO decided to write to you, seeking clarification on this particular issue. Does it mean that the exemption hasn’t been effected?” the letter signed by Akko reads in part. The Chairman of the association with over 300 members across the country, Wilbard Chambulo, said his members are caught in a catch-22 after having discarded a number of old vehicles, expecting to import the dutyfree ones ready for transporting tourists in the forthcoming high season due to start in mid-December 2018. “Most of us are stranded as the government is silent on the import duty exemption. We just want a word from the government whether the commitment was either false or real,” Chambulo explained. TATO believes that the well-thought objective to waive import duty on various tourist vehicles was born out of interest of the fifth phase government to stimulate development of the tourism industry. Proposing the import duty exemption on various tourist vehicles in the 2018/19 National Budget in Parliament, the Finance Minister, Dr Phillip Mpango, said a measure was critical for stimulating development of the multi-billion dollar tourism industry. “I propose to amend the fifth schedule of the East African Community Customs Management Act 2004, to provide import duty exemption on various types of motor vehicles for transportation of tourists,” Mpango tabled before the National Assembly in the country’s capital, Dodoma. He said the objective of the measure was to promote investments in the tourism sector, improve services, create employment, and increase government revenues. The TATO chief said members of the association were moved by the State’s decision to scrap the import duty, justifying that the tax exemption was a sigh of relief as it would save them US$9,727 for each imported tourist vehicle. “Imagine before this relief, some tour operators used to import up to 100 new vehicles at a go and paid US$972,700 in import duty alone. Now this money will be invested expanding a company in a bid to create more jobs and revenues,” Chambulo explained. It is understood that TATO had fought consistently for the promise to be met. When the assembly approved the exemption, TATO members were grateful that the government was considerate enough to their outcry, terming the move as a win-win deal. Available records indicate that tour operators in Tanzania are subjected to 37 different taxes, including business registration, entry fees, fees for regulatory licenses, income taxes, and annual duties for each tourist vehicle. The TATO boss argued that the contentious issue is not only how to pay myriad taxes and make profits, but also the modality and time spent in complying with intricate taxes. “Tour operators need streamlined taxes to ease compliance, because the cost of compliance is so high and as such it inhibits voluntary compliance,” Chambulo explained. Indeed, a study on the Tanzanian tourism sector indicates administrative burdens of completing license taxes and levy paperwork place a heavy cost on businesses in terms of time and money. A tour operator, for instance, spends over 4 months on completing regulatory paperwork. Tax and license paperwork consumes a total of his or her 745 hours per year. The joint report by the Tanzania Confederation of Tourism (TCT) and BEST-Dialogue shows that an average annual cost for personnel to accomplish the regulatory paperwork per each local tour operator stands at Tsh 2.9 million ( US$1,300) per year. Tanzania is estimated to be home to over 1,000 tour companies, but official data shows that there are as few as 330 formal firms complying with the tax regime, which is likely to be due to complexities of compliance. This means that there could be 670 briefcase tour firms operating in Tanzania. Going by the annual license fee of US$2,000, it means the Treasury loses US$1.34 million annually. However, the Finance Minister also promised through the budget speech that the government was to introduce a single payment system that would enable businessmen to pay all taxes under one roof in a bid to offer them a hassle-free tax compliance. Dr. Mpango also scrapped various fees under Occupational, Safety and Health Authority (OSHA) such as those imposed on application forms for registration of work places, levies, fines related to fire and rescue equipment, compliance license, and consultancy fees of Tsh 500,000 ( US$222) and 450,000 respectively ( US$200). “The government will continue reviewing various levies and fees imposed by parastatal institutions and agencies with a view to improving the business and investment environment,” the Minister told Parliament. - eTurboNews Wilderness Safaris launches Bush Buddy service in Zambezi Wilderness Safaris has introduced its family-friendly Bush Buddy service to camps in Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The complimentary service pairs children with a dedicated and trained mentor, for the duration of their stay, who tailor-makes an educational and entertainment programme specific to each child’s needs and interests. Daytime activities may include nature walks, where children are given tracking lessons, taught how to identify bird and animal calls, taken on treasure hunts, and experience creating natural sculptures from collected materials, painting with natural dyes, and making jewellery. In the evenings, they are introduced to frogging, star-gazing and local story-telling. “With the global trend of multi-generational travel on the rise, we believe that we, as a leading authentic and sustainable ecotourism company, have an important opportunity (and obligation) to not only expose our younger guests to the natural world, but to share it with them in a way that inspires them to love and respect it, and to ultimately become future custodians of our natural heritage”, says Dean Morton, Wilderness Safaris Zambezi Operations Manager. – Tourism Update
Arts The Southern Times Friday 07 - 13 December 2018 ■ Entertainment ■ Music ■ Theatre ■ Movies ■ Books 23 Bonang’s P150,000 tag irks Bots presenters P24 The National Art Gallery of Namibia creating space for visual artists Q&A The National Art Gallery of Namibia (NAGN), situated in the centre of the Namibian capital, Windhoek, is a state-owned institution that provides a platform to local and international artists to exhibit their artworks in its galleries. The national gallery also showcases the cream of Namibian visual artwork from the permanent collection. As 2018 heads into the sunset, The Southern Times reporter, ANNIES ANGULA (AN) spoke to NAGN Chief Executive Officer, SNOBIA KAPUTU (SK) to share her experience as head of the country’s premier gallery and the expectations for the New Year. AN: Please share with us your experience as head of the National Art Gallery of Namibia SK: It has been an exciting 12 months’ experience as the Chief Executive Officer of the National Art Gallery of Namibia. Exciting in the sense that I am leading the only national institution responsible for the promotion and development of the visual arts in the country and abroad, a passion that I carried over the years. Witnessing innovative works of art filling the gallery walls and floors, the vast growing number of visitors from all walks of life during the official openings and duration of exhibitions; the interacting side events that accompany the respective exhibitions on display; and seeing a buyer purchasing an artwork from our local artists, which puts a smile on the face of an artist as they receive their money for their labour in creating unique and valuable work of art make me feel the positive impact that the NAGN makes towards the wellbeing of our Namibian Artists. It thus motivates me on a daily basis to create platforms that empower our artists. However, it sometimes becomes a painful experience when the exhibition is over without any artwork being purchased, which become a demotivating factor for artists to continue creating works of art, while experiencing challenges selling their artworks. Except for collections exhibitions, the key purpose of a selling exhibition is to create platforms for the artist to sell their artworks, and make a living. The challenge is that although the industry has been growing fast, the artists benefit on a minimal scale from their art because of few art buyers in the market. The sector can grow when the works of art are purchased, which will motivate artists to create more artworks. However, the current situation is that there is no equilibrium between the supply of artworks and the demand. AN: The year 2018 is coming to an end, and it has been a busy year for NAGN. Please share with us the highlights and activities that took place during the year? SK: NAGN exhibited several group and solo exhibitions. Some highlights worth mentioning are the film documentary exhibition from prominent international acclaimed British artist, Julie Brook and TERRA: Mining and Earth Matters Exhibition by Jeannette Unite from South Africa. Cats and Dogs Group exhibition featuring a collaborative body of work by Namibian and German artists using multiple media. In partnership with the Goethe-Institut Namibia and IFA, we hosted a travelling exhibition titled “Future Perfect”. Giving our local artists free exhibition space and curatorial services during the layout of their exhibitions continue to be our support for their creativity. › NAGN Chief Executive Officer, Snobia Kaputu Namibian artists participated in the booth group exhibition, which was an open call exhibition where each exhibiting artist received 2x2 square metres of freedom to display their work. In collaboration with our local tertiary institutions that offer visual arts disciplines, we hosted the New Beginnings Exhibition showcasing artworks by graduates of the College of the Arts. The University of Namibia is currently exhibiting the artworks from the graduates who are majoring in various fields such as Art for Advertising, Ceramic Studies, Creative Expression, Fashion Studies, Textiles Studies and Visual Culture. The exhibition reflects the outcome, dedication and creative products by the students throughout the academic year. In celebrating Namibia 28th Independence, an exhibition titled Na/m(e)/bia Independence exhibition, an exhibition celebrating Namibia Independence through the eyes of the artists was one of the highlights showcasing artworks from NAGN Permanent Collection and artworks from contemporary artist. Isabel Katjavivi, an overall winner of Bank Windhoek Triennial 2017, was given an opportunity to showcase a solo exhibition titled “They Tried to Bury Us”. Pre-Tulipamwe, a retrospective exhibition displaying some of Tulipamwe collection artworks and some contemporary works from artists whose artworks are part of the collection were showcased, subsequent to that Tulipamwe Exhibition featuring an outcome of artworks produced at 2018 Tulipamwe International Artists’ Workshop were exhibited. During the Arts Summit of Southern Africa that took place in Windhoek, NAGN took on the opportunity to display 57 artworks from 57 artists. It was a great opportunity for Namibian artists to showcase their artworks. John Ndevasia Muafangejo (1943-1987): ‘Marking The Legacy That Still Inspire’ is a historical exhibition of John Ndevasia Muafangejo’s artworks from the Permanent Collection of the National Art Gallery of Namibia, together featuring artworks from artists that have been inspired by our own legend late John Muafangejo. The exhibition traces the tremendous contribution that Muafangejo has made to the development of visual arts in Namibia. Closing off the year, the NAGN will host an exhibition ‘RMB Art Come Together Workshops’, an exhibi- NATIONAL ART GALLERY: turn to P.24
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