By Tabora Bojang
The auditor general’s 2025 report on the government’s financial statements has revealed that government hired an eight (8) passenger private jet from Senegal costing D9,023,300 for the president and his delegation to attend the 68th session of the Ecowas heads of states and government in Abuja, Nigeria from 13th to 15th December 2025.
However, according to the auditors, the withholding tax amounting to D270,699.00 was not deducted and remitted to Gambia Revenue Authority (GRA) as per the dictates of the Public Finance Act.
According to the report, the private jet hired was from Sam Airways based in Dakar, Senegal. The auditors further said failure to deduct the withholding tax directly violates the Income and Value Added Tax 2012 and has denied the government of much needed public revenue as well as sets a precedent that may encourage further non-compliance.
Management response
In its response, the management said it has noted the query concern and explained that the non-deduction of withholding tax was an oversight at the time of making the payment. “Going forward, management will work with the Accountant General’s Department to ensure the right selection of vendors and related tax rates in the system, such that the deduction is automatically generated,” management stated.
The report is currently before the Finance and Public Accounts Committee (FPAC) of the National Assembly for scrutiny and consideration.