Terminate firms who declare losses: MP

COMPANIES that declare consecutive losses of more than three years should have their logging licences terminated and face deportation, says Shadow Treasury and Finance Minister Joseph Lelang.
Lelang made this statement after the Government imposed further export duties on the forestry sector of unprocessed old growth logs.
“We do agree that there are logging operators in the country that continue to declare successive losses but remain in operation,” he said.
“However, we feel that the imposition of additional duties on export of round logs is not addressing the key concerns, they should just have their licences terminated and be deported.”
Meanwhile, Lelang also called on the Government to stop tolerating excuses from the Department of Lands and Physical Planning in collecting K400 million in outstanding land rentals.
“We do not need further excuses that the department’s LAGIS LEAP system is down. This has been the same excuse for over three years while we have all these monies as outstanding land rentals.
“So we call on the government to not tolerate their excuses anymore and order the collection of the outstanding land rentals due,” he said.