Banjul Breweries Company has announced that it has lost about 13 million dalasi last month as a result of the government’s 75 per cent increment on exercise tax.

Speaking exclusively to Gambiana on Tuesday, Borri Darboe, commercial manager of the beverage company, said the company is running at a loss due to the unresolved tax saga. He said: “we have lost almost D13 million in May.”

He renewed his appeal to the Gambia government to revisit their new tax policy saying that “we are paying almost fourteen different types of taxes to government.”

Mr Darboe further said that the company had paid D115 millions as tax to government between January and April this year.

“My volume is really going down because in May instead of government receiving D16.6millions of tax they would relieved D7.1 million from us this shows that we are dropping,” adding that the company paid D4.6 million as value added tax for May.

“Therefore, government will receive D 7.1 million instead of D16.6 million.”

He called on the National Assembly Members to do something about the tax increment.

Banjul Breweries being the only beverage company in the country is campaigning to get the Barrow government to overturn the new 75% tax policy which it claimed “it’s hurting their business”.

The company has so far terminated the contract of 18 staff while another 25 staff are on the verge of losing their jobs, leaving another 125 staff in uncertain situations as they worried about losing their jobs if the situation continues.

However, the government did made numerous promises that the company wouldn’t be shut down but the reality on the ground is if action is not urgently taken the company could finally be a history in the country.

According to Gambia Bureau of Statistic, the country’s unemployment number is at 41.5 percent in 2019.

Reporting by Adama Makasuba