![Vaino](https://investigations.namibian.com.na/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Vaino.jpg)
By Shinovene Immanuel | 6 November 2020
A N$180 MILLION tender to build an internet-based tax administration system for the Ministry of Finance has divided opinions in the government.
There has been a push and pull in the past few months between the supplier and the government over this contract’s reliability and cost.
To some, those questioning the deal are “jealous”, because other companies were eyeing the tender.
Others liken the contract to “being in an abusive marriage with no ability to divorce”.
“It’s been a mess for the last six years,” says a person familiar with the finance ministry system. “Those who negotiated it are still around the table and defend everything around it,” the source says.
It all started in 2014 when the finance ministry awarded this contract to a joint venture between a company of businessman Vaino Nghipondoka, Profile Investments, and Beijing CSSCA Technologies, a company with direct ties to the Chinese government.
The tax platform contract was valued at N$180 million in 2014 to build a system and online platform for more than 767 500 taxpayers across the country.
But the new system largely failed to live up to expectations after concerns about technical capacity and friendliness.
“It’s the payment of taxes and how that IT contract is structured. Where have you heard that six years later, not a single IT technician in the ministry can even do a basic back-up,” a source familiar with this tender says.
“The supplier is trying to charge obscene monthly amounts for maintenance. They can collapse the system and we won’t be able to restore information,” the source says.
The Namibian understands he has been crucial in reducing the amounts asked by the private company.
The finance ministry vaguely announced the extension of deadlines for the submission of annual income tax returns to 31 March 2021.
This is the first time the taxman has extended the submission of returns in a long time.
Some point to this extension as a clear symptom of the failure to maintain the tax system.
The Namibian understands the finance ministry has been negotiating with the involved company on maintaining the tax system for the past three months.
Sources say Ngipondoka and his Chinese partners initially valued the maintenance deal at around N$1,7 million per month.
At some point, the private company allegedly walked away from the talks because the government was offering N$10 million for three years. The company allegedly refused that offer.
The parties then renegotiated and settled for around N$1 million a year for three years (36 months) for maintenance.
Ngipondoka’s company believes they are being lenient to the government by settling for N$1 million a month since the work is valued at around N$3 million a month.
They believe the N$1 million includes paying technical expats, who are allegedly in the country to keep the system running.
Nghipondoka yesterday said there was no bad blood between their joint venture and the finance ministry.
“There was no stand-off. It’s pure negotiations. Please talk to the ministry,” he said.
He said the structure of the agreement was standard IT practice.
“It works like this: Whoever implements the system should maintain the system because they have knowledge of the system,” he said.
![](https://investigations.namibian.com.na/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Shimi-300x175.jpg)
Questions sent to Shiimi were not answered by yesterday.
News about the continuous challenges over the tax platform comes at a time when the government is promising to polish its tax collection efforts to fund its budget.
MIXED REACTIONS
New Era reported last month that the Namibian Employers’ Federation (NEF) said the Integrated Tax Administration System (Itas) portal lacked guidelines for employers, making the system unfriendly to use.
The NEF said the deadline extension was necessary based on the needs of employers, as many had difficulty with the Itas portal.
NEF secretary general Daan Strauss says a recent federation survey indicated that 78% of respondents cited various challenges on the Itas portal.
In addition, the survey shows that 68% of employers were in favour of reverting to a manual process instead of electronic submissions.
The introduction of the digital tax platform has attracted mixed reaction in the country.
Red flags were raised as early as last year when some commentators said the platform was not user-friendly.
The Namibian reported that PwC tax partner Johan Nel raised questions over the system.
“It is a challenging process, but I eventually managed to register in my own capacity,” Nel then said.
He said taxpayers’ identification information on Inland Revenue’s former system should be the same as that which is used to register, or it would not work.
“This provides a challenge to taxpayers as they are not always aware of the information that is on Inland Revenue’s system, and now still needs Inland Revenue to correct it,” Nel said.
BEIJING
Beijing CSSCA Technologies, the company that built Namibia’s digital tax system, is a Chinese software company that has links to the Chinese government.
“We are proud of our heritage from the China National Software & Service Corporation, which was founded in 1980 as one of the biggest China state-owned software companies and has contributed tremendously to the development of the China ICT industry over the past 30 years,” the company says.
Beijing CSSCA Technologies appears to be a hot favourite in winning government digital jobs.
It says on its website it runs electronic document and report management systems for the Office of the President, the Office of the Prime Minister and other ministries.
The Namibian reported earlier this year that the same Chinese software development company developed and implemented integrated case-management systems at the legal advice and civil litigation directorates at the Office of the Attorney General.
The same company created an e-policing platform for the Namibian Police to improve crime prevention, detection and control.
Hi, Neat post. There is a problem with your website in internet explorer, would check this… IE still is the market leader and a good portion of people will miss your great writing due to this problem.
Excellent article, it was uncommonly useful! I just started in this and I’m turning out to be more familiar with it better. The post is written in an exceptionally decent way and it contains numerous helpful data for me. Many thanks and will search for additional postings from you.
pin up kazino https://azerbaijancuisine.com/# pin up 360
pin-up 141
pin-up casino giris: pin up yukle – pin up az?rbaycan
mexico drug stores pharmacies mexican pharmacy medicine in mexico pharmacies
buying prescription drugs in mexico: mexican pharmacy – purple pharmacy mexico price list
https://northern-doctors.org/# pharmacies in mexico that ship to usa
buying from online mexican pharmacy: mexican northern doctors – mexican drugstore online
https://northern-doctors.org/# mexico pharmacies prescription drugs
https://northern-doctors.org/# pharmacies in mexico that ship to usa
reputable mexican pharmacies online mexican northern doctors mexican mail order pharmacies
mexico pharmacies prescription drugs: mexican northern doctors – purple pharmacy mexico price list
mexico pharmacies prescription drugs: northern doctors – purple pharmacy mexico price list
https://northern-doctors.org/# pharmacies in mexico that ship to usa
medicine in mexico pharmacies: northern doctors – buying prescription drugs in mexico
https://northern-doctors.org/# mexican rx online
purple pharmacy mexico price list: northern doctors – mexico pharmacies prescription drugs
buying prescription drugs in mexico northern doctors pharmacy mexican online pharmacies prescription drugs
mexican online pharmacies prescription drugs: mexican drugstore online – pharmacies in mexico that ship to usa
https://northern-doctors.org/# mexico pharmacies prescription drugs
pharmacies in mexico that ship to usa: mexican pharmacy – buying prescription drugs in mexico
https://northern-doctors.org/# buying from online mexican pharmacy
buying from online mexican pharmacy: mexican pharmacy northern doctors – mexico drug stores pharmacies
pharmacies in mexico that ship to usa: mexican pharmacy – mexican mail order pharmacies
http://northern-doctors.org/# mexican rx online
Residents of Chicago have convenient access to professional refrigerator repair services within the city. If you’re seeking assistance from subzerorepair247.com, your search ends here!
medication from mexico pharmacy: northern doctors pharmacy – mexico drug stores pharmacies
purple pharmacy mexico price list mexican pharmacy northern doctors mexican pharmaceuticals online
buying from online mexican pharmacy: northern doctors pharmacy – mexican border pharmacies shipping to usa
mexico pharmacies prescription drugs: mexican northern doctors – mexico drug stores pharmacies
https://northern-doctors.org/# best online pharmacies in mexico
mexican online pharmacies prescription drugs northern doctors mexican mail order pharmacies
mexican mail order pharmacies: Mexico pharmacy that ship to usa – mexican pharmaceuticals online
http://northern-doctors.org/# mexican online pharmacies prescription drugs
mexican mail order pharmacies: northern doctors pharmacy – medicine in mexico pharmacies
mexican border pharmacies shipping to usa: mexico drug stores pharmacies – medicine in mexico pharmacies
buying prescription drugs in mexico online: mexican rx online – mexican mail order pharmacies
https://northern-doctors.org/# mexican pharmacy
pharmacies in mexico that ship to usa: mexican pharmacy northern doctors – п»їbest mexican online pharmacies
mexican mail order pharmacies mexican pharmacy online mexican drugstore online
mexican border pharmacies shipping to usa: mexican pharmacy northern doctors – buying from online mexican pharmacy
mexico pharmacy: mexican pharmacy northern doctors – mexico pharmacies prescription drugs
mexico pharmacy: Mexico pharmacy that ship to usa – medication from mexico pharmacy
http://northern-doctors.org/# buying prescription drugs in mexico
best online pharmacies in mexico: mexican pharmacy online – mexican pharmaceuticals online
https://northern-doctors.org/# mexican border pharmacies shipping to usa
buying prescription drugs in mexico: mexican pharmacy online – reputable mexican pharmacies online
reputable mexican pharmacies online mexican northern doctors buying prescription drugs in mexico online
https://northern-doctors.org/# buying prescription drugs in mexico online
reputable mexican pharmacies online: northern doctors – mexico drug stores pharmacies
http://northern-doctors.org/# mexican border pharmacies shipping to usa
purple pharmacy mexico price list: northern doctors – mexico drug stores pharmacies
medication from mexico pharmacy: northern doctors – buying prescription drugs in mexico
https://northern-doctors.org/# mexican online pharmacies prescription drugs
buying prescription drugs in mexico: mexican pharmacy northern doctors – medication from mexico pharmacy
https://northern-doctors.org/# п»їbest mexican online pharmacies
purple pharmacy mexico price list Mexico pharmacy that ship to usa mexico pharmacies prescription drugs
п»їbest mexican online pharmacies: mexican northern doctors – mexican pharmaceuticals online
http://northern-doctors.org/# mexican rx online
mexican rx online: northern doctors pharmacy – mexican drugstore online
mexican rx online: medication from mexico pharmacy – mexican pharmaceuticals online
http://northern-doctors.org/# mexican pharmaceuticals online
mexico drug stores pharmacies: mexican northern doctors – buying prescription drugs in mexico online
http://cmqpharma.com/# mexican rx online
purple pharmacy mexico price list
purple pharmacy mexico price list: online mexican pharmacy – mexico drug stores pharmacies
mexico drug stores pharmacies mexico pharmacy mexican mail order pharmacies
medication from mexico pharmacy mexican pharmacy online purple pharmacy mexico price list
buying prescription drugs in mexico
https://cmqpharma.com/# mexican drugstore online
mexico pharmacies prescription drugs
medicine in mexico pharmacies best online pharmacies in mexico mexican border pharmacies shipping to usa
mexican pharmaceuticals online mexican pharmacy buying from online mexican pharmacy
mexico drug stores pharmacies mexican pharmacy online reputable mexican pharmacies online
mexican rx online online mexican pharmacy mexico drug stores pharmacies
medicine in mexico pharmacies online mexican pharmacy mexican rx online
mexican pharmaceuticals online: mexican pharmacy – mexican mail order pharmacies
pharmacies in mexico that ship to usa
https://cmqpharma.online/# buying prescription drugs in mexico
mexican rx online
best online pharmacies in mexico
https://cmqpharma.com/# mexican rx online
mexican drugstore online
mexican rx online: cmq mexican pharmacy online – п»їbest mexican online pharmacies
canada drug pharmacy: pharmacy com canada – canada pharmacy online
northern pharmacy canada canadian pharmacy meds review best canadian online pharmacy
canadian pharmacies comparison: legit canadian pharmacy – canadian pharmacy service
http://foruspharma.com/# mexican border pharmacies shipping to usa
legitimate canadian pharmacy: maple leaf pharmacy in canada – drugs from canada
best india pharmacy online pharmacy india india pharmacy
Very interesting information!Perfect just what I was looking for!
purple pharmacy mexico price list: mexico drug stores pharmacies – mexico pharmacy
top 10 pharmacies in india: pharmacy website india – top 10 pharmacies in india
https://canadapharmast.com/# canadian pharmacy review
canadian pharmacy meds canadian pharmacy king reviews best canadian pharmacy
buy medicines online in india: indian pharmacy paypal – india online pharmacy
mexico drug stores pharmacies: mexican mail order pharmacies – mexican rx online
canadian pharmacy 1 internet online drugstore: canadapharmacyonline com – canadian pharmacy meds reviews
pharmacy com canada: canadian pharmacies comparison – 77 canadian pharmacy
https://canadapharmast.com/# legitimate canadian pharmacy online
mexico pharmacies prescription drugs: mexican drugstore online – mexican rx online
canadian pharmacy meds: canadian pharmacy checker – best canadian pharmacy to buy from
https://paxloviddelivery.pro/# buy paxlovid online
ciprofloxacin generic price: п»їcipro generic – antibiotics cipro
https://paxloviddelivery.pro/# paxlovid india
http://doxycyclinedelivery.pro/# doxycycline 150 mg tablets
https://doxycyclinedelivery.pro/# doxycycline 1000mg best buy
where can i buy cipro online: where to buy cipro online – п»їcipro generic
https://amoxildelivery.pro/# how to get amoxicillin over the counter
ciprofloxacin 500mg buy online: buy cipro without rx – buy ciprofloxacin over the counter
http://amoxildelivery.pro/# cost of amoxicillin 30 capsules
http://paxloviddelivery.pro/# paxlovid generic
generic amoxicillin: over the counter amoxicillin canada – amoxicillin 500mg without prescription
https://doxycyclinedelivery.pro/# doxycycline 150mg pill
http://doxycyclinedelivery.pro/# doxycycline south africa
can i get clomid without insurance: can i get cheap clomid no prescription – clomid brand name
can i order cheap clomid pills: where to buy clomid without dr prescription – where can i buy generic clomid