Possibly Kuensel reported Nu: 20 million is not a every day revenue leakage at Phuentsholing. It could be more and it could be little less. However Phuentsholing is only one of the several entry gates. In total the revenue robbery has be be far above the total 20 million ngultrums per day.
The leakages is not just in under invoicing. There is also over invoicing and this happens with tax exempted goods. Whatever the exact figure of daily loss is, it is huge no matter how you look from whatever direction.
There are most certainly honest people in Revenue as there are in other Agencies. For the sake of such honest and dedicated people do not hide behind 20 million figure debate and pretend corruption at Phuentsholing Office is tolerable. Revenue honest bosses must accept the truth of what has been happening and stand forward to assist ACC to bring the culprits to book.
It is frightening and the public blatancy only proves that this systematic corruption runs quite high. Already the Mafia bosses are in the campaign to dilute charges in the guise of officially attacking the Kuensel reported figure. They the Mafia then should tell the public how much the leakage figure is from Samdrup Jongkhar; Gelegphug ; Samtse and Paro. How much tax amount was not collected or ignored through under invoicing and how much national rupee reserve were stolen through over invoicing. And how many truck loads of imported goods simply enter without even recording entry.
ACC may try but corruption will never be controlled as long as there are powerful silent endorsement. Revenue and Custom Office should be endeavouring to tackle the misdeeds of corrupted officials instead of directing all energy in debating the volume of corruption fallout. If the Ministry of Finance is serious on assisting ACC in curving the corruption within its own administered Departments then the Officers who defend corrupt practice should be suspended to allow ACC to investigate without hindrance.
Wishing for a better and cleaner Bhutan. and to be honest, what is not corrupt in Bhutan ? the very government we have came to power by way of unimaginable corrupt means. Look around, most of the people in in powerful position are appointed through corrupted means. Placements for public servants are all done through corrupt means. f quotation and tender are all awarded through corrupt means. Infact the manner in which ACC is doing the investigation are all corrupted. They are only best in taking up the cases that are politically motivated. This shows how they lack the nerve of their own. if the current investigation is to curb fronting, then it has to apply uniformly to all the fronted companies and business houses we have in Bhutan. Why only confine the case to p/ling alone? and fronting has been going on for eons and what were they doing till date? fair and square as it stands are just a myth in Bhutan! so lets not act smart. for once can't we stop being hypocrites?
ReplyDeleteas for this article, I give full credit. we are all concerned. however my request to the author is that, sometimes its worthwhile to listen to people more first and then write the facts, rather than pretending to be "all-knowing and all-seeing" .If as a nation we stand so impoverished, than why are some people so so rich ...cant we begin the investigation from there first?????
just my thoughts. Cheers!
Wangcha Sir, I respect your journalistic views and have every right to do so, after all having right to personal opinions and expressions are the essence of a healthy and participatory democracy, but at the same time a good journalist must learn to report on issues or facts in an objective, just and fairly manner, not just blowing the things out of proportion and unrealistically.
ReplyDeleteSir, if your analysis and assessment of revenue leakages or loss amounts to Nu. 20 M and over daily through Phuntsholing check point, and it is happening due to silent endorsement of Mafia bosses here in RRCO, Phuntsholing, I would sincerely suggest you to come joint the RRCO so that you can collect an additional revenue collection of Nu.20 M daily. I believe you have the require capability to do so. On the contrary, if you can't make your hypothetical amount of Nu.20 M into realistic, you must learn to accept your weaknesses and irresponsibility at some point of time.
Dear Wangcha Sangay Sir,
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, I am a big fan of yours. While I do not agree on some of things you write, I agree on many things or rather sounds very convincing to me especially when I am ignorant of the issues or when you give different perspectives to issues. I have never missed your article and I have a deep admiration to you for your honesty, dedication, wisdom, courage, patriotism and above all, holding on to your conviction. Please do not stop sharing your opinion and wanted to let you know that there are many silent beneficiaries like me while there are few loud critics.
I also take this opportunity to share my views on your above articles on the Revenue and customs. I myself was a victim of the Revenue and Customs in the past but by no means, I am taking this opportunity to take on Revenue and Customs. The action ACC is taking now is infact long overdue but the good thing is that it has now started and this should be an opportunity to clean up and revamped this dirty department. What has come out to the media so far must be a tip of the iceberg. Limiting the investigation and closing the matter to the present case will have serious consequences. It is like taking out one of two rotten apples from the box with almost all the apples rotten. Please clean the whole box. While ACC may be constraint with the limited resource, ACC should not leave the job half done. I think it is the right time to clean our system when we have got the backing from the highest leadership, strong political will, dynamic leadership and professionals in the ACC.
When I read that so and so customs officers and so and so business houses are detained or shut, I am actually amused and disgusted at the same time. Are we shielding the big business houses (I mean fronting import and export houses), are we protecting the higher level officers in the Customs and Revenue Department? Are we going to take any action and investigation to the Customs head? Any action on the Customs Directors in Phuentsholing and in Thimphu both the past and presents? I believe the smarter ones already enriched themselves, got promotion, and left the departments and enjoying the higher post with the past accumulations. Is it fair? Even if these people were too smart and clever for our system to nail them, there is something call moral responsibility and they should be asked to take this responsibility and pave way for others since they do not deserve to the post they are given at present anyway. It is also unfair to the departments they are in as directors with such record or least lapses from their side. Without taking action on these senior officials will actually demoralises the good ones if any left and also encourage smarter ones to adopt their ways to get rich fast and get out.
If ACC finds that they are in a position to take on the smarter ones and bigger business houses, then perhaps revisit the investigation and be as humanely as possible and live in the land of blessings.
sorry my earlier comments has some typo errors.
ReplyDeleteDear Wangcha Sangay Sir,
First of all, I am a big fan of yours. While I do not agree on some of things you write, I agree on many things or rather sounds very convincing to me especially when I am ignorant of the issues or when you give different perspectives to issues. I have never missed your article and I have a deep admiration to you for your honesty, dedication, wisdom, courage, patriotism and above all, holding on to your conviction. Please do not stop sharing your opinion and wanted to let you know that there are many silent beneficiaries like me while there are few loud critics.
I also take this opportunity to share my views on your above articles on the Revenue and customs. I myself was a victim of the Revenue and Customs in the past but by no means, I am taking this opportunity to take on Revenue and Customs. The action ACC is taking now is infact long overdue but the good thing is that it has now started and this should be an opportunity to clean up and revamped this dirty department. What has come out to the media so far must be a tip of the iceberg. Limiting the investigation and closing the matter to the present case will have serious consequences. It is like taking out one of two rotten apples from the box with almost all the apples rotten. Please clean the whole box. While ACC may be constraint with the limited resource, ACC should not leave the job half done. I think it is the right time to clean our system when we have got the backing from the highest leadership, strong political will, dynamic leadership and professionals in the ACC.
When I read that so and so customs officers and so and so business houses are detained or shut, I am actually amused and disgusted at the same time. Are we shielding the big business houses (I mean fronting import and export houses), are we protecting the higher level officers in the Customs and Revenue Department? Are we going to take any action and investigation to the Customs head? Any action on the Customs Directors in Phuentsholing and in Thimphu both the past and presents? I believe the smarter ones already enriched themselves, got promotion, and left the departments and enjoying the higher post with the past accumulations. Is it fair? Even if these people were too smart and clever for our system to nail them, there is something call moral responsibility and they should be asked to take this responsibility and pave way for others since they do not deserve to the post they are given at present anyway. It is also unfair to the departments they are in as directors with such record or at the least lapses committed from their side. Without taking action on these senior officials will actually demoralises the good ones if any left and also encourage smarter ones to adopt their ways to get rich fast and get out.
If ACC finds that they are not in a position to take on the smarter ones and bigger business houses, then perhaps revisit the investigation and be as humanely as possible and live in the land of blessings.