PNG Finance and Tax Headquarters Locked out

The Papua New Guinea Finance Department and  Internal Revenue Commission IRC headquarters in Port Moresby have been locked out.  Officers from the nation's tax office were locked out of the Revenue Haus building in downtown Port Moresby this morning by the landlord Nambawan Super Limited (NSL).

This also includes the doors to Vulupindi Haus at Waigani, which houses the National Department of Finance.

Both the Revenue Haus and Vulupindi Haus are owned by NSL.

Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Commission (IRC) Sam Koim told the media this morning that as a lawyer, he understands the landlord for exercising their right over non-payment of rental arrears by the Government. 

He clarified that if IRC was responsible for its own debts, it would have cleared its rental arrears totalling K12 million. 

However, this responsibility has been centralised to the Department of Finance. 

The IRC Commissioner is unsure at this stage when the office will be reopened for normal business. 

NBC News / PNG Today

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