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State pushes sole power for parliament to dismiss MIRA top officials

Shahudha Mohamed
07 August 2019, MVT 13:10
MIRA anniversary
Shahudha Mohamed
07 August 2019, MVT 13:10

The state, on Tuesday, submitted a bill seeking to amend the Tax Administration Act, which would give the parliament sole power to dismiss Maldives Inland Revenue Authority (MIRA)'s Commissioner General of Taxation and Deputy Commissioner General of Taxation in the parliament.

The Tax Administration Act currently states that individuals filling these two posts can be dismissed through a letter sent by the President, with the backing of parliament.

However, the amendment proposed by Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP)'s Hulhudhoo MP Ilyaas Labeeb seeks to shift the power exclusively to the parliament.

According to the amendment, if the parliamentary committee observes ad decides that the two senior-most officials in MIRA are negligent in their duties, misusing their authority or going against the disciplinary standards finalised by the board the parliamentary committee can dismiss them if a majority vote can be obtained.

The amendment state that both the Commissioner General and Deputy Commissioner General will serve a five-year term.

The current act does not specify a duration of time for which the positions can be held by the same individual.

Moreover, the proposed amendment includes alterations to MIRA's board and the taxation process. Formerly, Attorney General's (AG) Office stated that refining the Tax Administration Act was necessary to improve MIRA's current functions, hold the top officials responsible and offering leniency in some taxation processes.

The board must consist of seven members, including Commissioner General of Taxation, five members appointed by the President and a member appointed by Minister of Finance, as per the new amendments.

Moreover, the Commissioner General of Taxation will not be allowed to partake in voting.

Another proposed amendment is to allow parties to pay 30 percent of payments that are due in order to appeal a case related to tax at court, as opposed to the former law that state that cases can only be appealed if all the payments are complete.

The current Commissioner General of Taxation is Yazeed Mohamed while Deputy Commissioner General is Hassan Zareer.

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