Government Department extorts grocery shops in Ye

March 17, 2015

In March 2015, the Burmese government’s recently established Department of Workplace and Labor Law Investigation unlawfully imposed taxes on local grocery shops in Ye City, Ye Township, Mon State, states a local shopkeeper.

According to local Ye grocer Nai We-Ra, “The Department of Workplace and Labor Law Investigation came and showed a piece of paper and demanded money. There was no description about taxation in the paper. Small shops had to pay 40,000 kyat [in tax] and bigger ones had to pay 80,000 kyat. They [department employees] didn’t listen to our complaints. They forcefully demanded money. If we didn’t pay the money, they refused to leave our shops. I must pay the demand even though my shop doesn’t [employ] any workers.”

According to another local, there are more than ten grocery shops in Ye City’s An-an-war Ward, and every one of those shops had to pay the new department’s exorbitantly high taxes. There are roughly 40 grocery shops in Ye City, including cheroot shops, which were forced to pay taxes related solely to grocery shops.

“The department appeared this year and they collected money soon after their appearance. We always pay tax to the Municipal Department, but this demand is too much for us. A small shop can’t earn too much money. Moreover, we haven’t made much profit this year. I think they’ll also collect money next year,” continued the shopkeeper.

The documents department representatives presented to the shopkeepers were stamped with the Department of Workplace and Labor Law Investigation seal, and signed by the department’s chief officer. The documents only references local workers’ work hours and holidays, with no mention to taxation.

Local shopkeepers mentioned that the demanded tax was unlawful, as there was no mention or description of the tax in the documents presented by department employees.

“If they want to collect tax, they should identify that in the documents,” said a local grocer, “But there was no mention of taxation in the paper. This is totally unlawful.”

Written by Modinator · Filed Under News