By Isaac Zulu
Kapiri Mposhi Magistrates court has fined 16 business entities K300 each or, in default, warrant of distress for failure to register their employees and remit annual returns to the National Pensions Scheme Authority (NAPSA).
The firms that include guest houses, private and public schools were sued by NAPSA for failing to produce documents on returns as requested within the period specified.
The offence is contrary to section 51(1)(f) of the NAPSA Act number 49 of 1996 of the Laws of Zambia.
Particulars of the offence are that being eligible employers allocated with respective NAPSA Account Numbers, the business entities failed to produce documents for the period between June 2021 to February 2022, which they had been requested to provide.
When the matters came up before separate magistrates namely Edward Banda, Brenda Chiganda, Arnold Kasongamulilo and Jammy Mukumbi, all the business entities readily pleaded guilty as charged.
But in passing judgement the Magistrates observed that failing to honour statutory obligations is a serious offence and had become common in the country, stressing that the court needed to pass stiff punishment to deter would be offenders.
The entities where then fined K300 each in default warrant of distress to be issued against respective businesses.
