The Cambodia Daily newspaper, which has been hit with a $6 million back tax bill and faces assets seizure and possible closure, yesterday stated that press freedom is under attack and called for an investigation into state officials leaking confidential information. In a press release titled “Protect Press Freedom, End the Attack on The Cambodia Daily”, the paper’s publisher and chief editor claimed the government’s demand it pay about $6.3 million in back taxes for the past 10 years is “an assault on press freedom thinly disguised as a tax dispute”.

 

“Today, the Daily is under siege,” said deputy publisher Deborah Krisher-Steele. “The Cambodian government plans to seize our assets, which is a blatant violation of bilateral investment treaties signed by Cambodia to protect foreign investors as well as its WTO obligations. Governments around the world need to act now to help us fight off this unfair effort to close our newspaper.” On August 4, the General Department of Taxation issued the back tax bill, giving the paper 30 days to settle the bill or face assets seizure and possible closure.

 

Yesterday’s press release claimed the tax information was then leaked by unknown officials at the department to the government-aligned Fresh News website. “Unknown persons … have been continuously leaking confidential tax information to the government-aligned Fresh News before the communications to The Daily are even postmarked,” the statement said. “It appears that the GDT may well have violated Article 94 of the Law on Taxation which states the GDT and its officials ‘must keep confidential the information pertaining to the taxpayer that they have received during their official performance of their duty and can provide the information only to the person that this article allows’.

 

read more http://www.khmertimeskh.com/5080433/news-chief-says-freedom-now-peril/

 

-- © Copyright Phenom Pen Post 29/08

They forgot the brown enveloppes ?

 

 

"which is a blatant violation of bilateral investment treaties signed by Cambodia to protect foreign investors as well as its WTO obligations" total baloney. They've been presented with a tax bill. If they don't/wont/can't pay then the government is entitled to seize their assets, the same as in any country.

 

They didn't pay their taxes. They sought commercial advertising. They put their news behind a PAYWALL. They hammered the government every day over poor governance, yet internally their compliance and governance were just as dodgy.

 

Sorry for the journalists and staff, but the Cambodia Daily's management and owners have created this situation by failing to comply with the law. It may well be an attempt to silence them, but its noncompliance makes it hard to prove.