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Civil.ge
6 days ago
- Business
- Civil.ge
Authorities Study Leasing Deal Between Khazaradze Family and German Ambassador
The Revenue Service of Georgia said it was studying 'possible violation of tax law' in a leasing deal between the family of Mamuka Khazaradze, jailed leader of the opposition Lelo/Strong Georgia coalition, and German Ambassador Peter Fischer. The statement follows reports by pro-Georgian Dream media that the German Ambassador was leasing a residence from Khazaradze's family, while it was 'unknown' whether there was a leasing agreement and whether Khazaradze's family was paying relevant taxes. Khazaradze's lawyers confirmed the deal, but said there was an agreement 'executed in compliance with all legal rules' and accused pro-GD media of spreading 'distorted information.' 'Following the information disseminated in the public domain, an analysis of the issue revealed a possible violation of tax law, which is why the Revenue Service has already begun investigating the facts and will conduct tax control measures specified by law in order to fully study the information,' the Revenue Service said in its August 4 statement , citing 'high public interest' in providing information about 'possible tax evasion' in the leasing deal betwen Khazaradze family and the German diplomat. Pro-government Rustavi 2 TV channel reported on August 1 that the German Ambassador's 'up to 300 square meter' residence on Kavlashvili Street in downtown Tbilisi belonged to Irina Khazaradze, the Lelo leader's wife. The channel claimed it was unclear whether a formal lease agreement existed and whether the Khazaradze family was paying income tax on the arrangement. Leaders of the ruling Georgian Dream party seized on the media reports, with GD Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze saying the ambassador 'put himself in an uncomfortable position and, more, he put his state, his Foreign Ministry, in an uncomfortable position.' 'Let us see, wait for the information regarding the finances, how the expenses were covered, taxes were paid, and so on, all of this is very interesting,' Kobakhidze told reporters in Shovi, Racha, on August 3. 'When you rent a residence from a leader of a certain political party and then you present yourself as a staunch supporter of this political party, it raises a lot more questions.' The lawyers of Khazaradze's family issued a statement on August 2, calling the 'distorted information' spread by the pro-government channel 'another propagandistic attack' both on Khazaradze's family and the German state. 'There is a notarized agreement (N221439682 / 21.10.2022) about leasing the property in possession of the Khazaradze family to the German Ambassador, executed in compliance with all legal rules,' the lawyers said. 'Any other, i.e., undocumented cooperation with the diplomatic representation of the German Federation is impossible!' Ambassador Fischer, a vocal critic of the Georgian Dream government's anti-democratic actions, has faced repeated attacks from the ruling party and its supporters, including public verbal insults . Other European diplomats, including the EU Ambassador, have likewise been targets of sustained accusations and attacks by the ruling party leadership, drawing condemnation from Brussels. This post is also available in: ქართული
Yahoo
29-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Population likely lower than data shows
There could be a drop of 3% in Guernsey's recorded population when "IT system changes and data validation tasks" are completed and island statistics are restored, the States has said. It added it was because the number of people who moved away from Guernsey was "likely" to have been understated in the past, which was identified by a new States computer system. The States said work was continuing to restore quarterly publications of population, employment and earnings figures, but "more time is needed" to ensure statistics were accurate. It added a "series of IT system changes and data validation tasks need to be completed and thoroughly tested before publication can be resumed". More news stories for Guernsey Listen to the latest news for Guernsey The new IT systems in the Revenue Service had "brought to light" the data issues in the Rolling Electronic Census, it said. "These issues are likely to have caused historical outward migration statistics, i.e. the number of people moving away from Guernsey, to be understated," it said. The States added: "While it is normal for these statistics to be restated by small amounts each time they are issued after new information comes to light, it is now expected that the next publication could include a downward revision of the total population of up to 3% - a larger revision than is normal." It said previously published employment and earnings statistics should be unaffected and "accuracy of statistics remains the priority". "It is important that the public can have confidence in the published statistics. "Since it is taking longer than anticipated to apply and validate all the necessary changes, additional resources have been applied to this work to accelerate it," the States added. The latest recorded population of Guernsey, recorded for December 2023 and published in October 2024, was 64,781 - which marked an increase of more than 1%. Follow BBC Guernsey on X and Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to More on this story Guernsey population increases by 1% Related internet links States of Guernsey
BBC News
29-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Last published data "overstated" Guernsey population
There could be a drop of 3% in Guernsey's recorded population when "IT system changes and data validation tasks" are completed and island statistics are restored, the States has added it was because the number of people who moved away from Guernsey was "likely" to have been understated in the past, which was identified by a new States computer States said work was continuing to restore quarterly publications of population, employment and earnings figures, but "more time is needed" to ensure statistics were added a "series of IT system changes and data validation tasks need to be completed and thoroughly tested before publication can be resumed". The new IT systems in the Revenue Service had "brought to light" the data issues in the Rolling Electronic Census, it said."These issues are likely to have caused historical outward migration statistics, i.e. the number of people moving away from Guernsey, to be understated," it States added: "While it is normal for these statistics to be restated by small amounts each time they are issued after new information comes to light, it is now expected that the next publication could include a downward revision of the total population of up to 3% - a larger revision than is normal."It said previously published employment and earnings statistics should be unaffected and "accuracy of statistics remains the priority"."It is important that the public can have confidence in the published statistics. "Since it is taking longer than anticipated to apply and validate all the necessary changes, additional resources have been applied to this work to accelerate it," the States latest recorded population of Guernsey, recorded for December 2023 and published in October 2024, was 64,781 - which marked an increase of more than 1%.
BBC News
01-07-2025
- BBC News
Government warning over Revenue Service scam emails
The States of Guernsey has warned residents to be alert to scam emails after some were received claiming to be from the Revenue government said it was made aware of emails purporting to be from the Revenue Service over the said the emails were sent from or accounts and not from the Revenue Service's official email address. It advised people to check the address, not to open any links or attachments on the emails and to contact their bank's fraud team if they have already engaged with the sender.
France 24
26-06-2025
- Business
- France 24
Nigeria's Tinubu signs major tax overhaul
The west African economic powerhouse has a tax-to-GDP ratio of 13.5 percent, according to government figures, which is below the continental average. The country, split among 36 states, has long struggled to reform its tax system -- with the government saying its new package will "harmonise" levies across the nation. "For too long, our tax system has been a patchwork—complex, inequitable, and burdensome," Tinubu said on social media ahead of the signing, promising relief for poor and working-class Nigerians. The president's earlier reforms -- slashing a costly fuel subsidy and liberalising the naira exchange rate -- have won the praise of economists, saying such measures were long overdue. But they've also sparked massive inflation and a cost of living crisis. The four laws -- the Nigeria Tax Law, Nigeria Tax Administration Law, Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Law, and Joint Revenue Board (Establishment) Law -- are a "one-stop shop," simultaneously increasing revenue generation and reducing the tax burden on low-income earners, tax expert Chukwuema Eze told AFP. With the country experiencing one of its worst economic crises in decades, the new laws exempt low-revenue small businesses from paying company tax and reduce corporate tax to 25 percent from 30 percent. The new regime also streamlines tax collection and reorganises revenue-sharing between federal and state governments -- though without completely upending the system that sees poorer, mostly northern states benefit from money put into the national pot from the oil-rich south. Major tweaks to the revenue-sharing system were dropped as the bills wound their way through the legislature, after proving controversial in a country where north and south remain divided along both economic, religious and ethnic lines. One of the laws renames the country's tax office to Nigerian Revenue Service (NRS) and strengthens its revenue generation capacity, though the federal government's earnings from the value-added tax (VAT) will decline, with more money allocated to individual states. Easing business environment The government hopes the reforms will ease the cost of doing business for both domestic and foreign firms operating in the west African powerhouse, whose economy has dived from the largest in Africa to fourth place under Tinubu's reforms. However, some tax experts including Nongomin Joshua, of Nongomin & Co, Practitioners, said the reforms will mean little if the government, marred by decades of corruption, can't spend the money effectively. "The question is, how effective, efficient, and how prudent are they managing what they have been collecting with the current taxes?" said Nongomin Joshua, of Nongomin & Co, Practitioners, an accounting group. Economist Kelvin Emmanuel based in Abuja, the capital, said the new reforms would be key in raising the tax-to-GDP ratio, a struggle for many African countries where millions work in the informal sector. "It will also strengthen the fiscal administration of local governments around Nigeria, as the new framework seeks to create a comprehensive governance framework for local governments around autonomy," he told AFP. © 2025 AFP
