inance and Planning Minister Phillip Mpango (second left) shakes hands with the Tanzania International Petroleum Reserves Limited (Tiper) board chairman Abdulkarim Mruma during an event where the company presented Sh2 billion as dividend accrued from its 2015 profits. Others from third left are: Industry, Trade and Investment Minister Charles Mwijage and Deputy Minister for Energy and Minerals Medard Kaleman. Left is Finance Deputy Permanent Secretary Dorothy Mwanyika and on the right is Tiper managing director Stephane Gay. PHOTO | EDWIN MWJAHUZI
What you need to know:
NMB hands over to the government Sh16.6 billion, while Puma Energy Tanzania and Tiper present Sh4.5 billion and Sh2 billion, respectively
Dodoma. Finance and Planning Minister Dr Phillip Mpango yesterday received a total of Sh23 billion from three different companies as government’s share of dividends from the 2015 profits.
The National Microfinance Bank (NMB) chief executive officer, Ineke Bussemaker presented Sh16.6 billion while board chairmen for Tanzania International Petroleum Reserves Limited (Tiper) and Puma Energy Tanzania, Prof Abdukarim Mruma and Dr Ben Moshi, respectively, presented Sh2 billion and Sh4.5 billion, in that order.
The government owns a 50 per cent stake in Tiper and a similar share in Puma Energy. It also owns 29 per cent of shares in the Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange (DSE) listed NMB.
The received amount will be a timely boost to Dr Mpango who presented Tanzania’s 29.5 trillion 2016/17 Budget in the National Assembly on Wednesday.
“I am a very happy man today,” he said while calling upon the Treasury Registrar, Lawrence Mafuru to make a thorough follow up on other companies in which the government has shares to emulate the three companies.
In his message, the Tiper board chairman, Prof Abdulkarim Mruma said the company, which directly employs 56 people, has so far distributed a total of Sh6.4 billion as dividend to the government since 2010.
During the same time, it has also paid a total of Sh13.5 billion as corporate tax.
Earlier, Dr Mosha said fuel theft was still a problem at the Pot of Dar es Salaam, noting that Puma lost $1.4 million (about Sh3 billion) during the 15 months between January 2014 and March 2015.
“We believe there was a systematic theft of fuel there because basically, the recommended fuel loss during discharging id supposed to be 0.3 per cent of the consignment but we have been losing up to three and four per cent,” he said.
