PHA-Exchange> Halliburtons Tax Evasion Scandal in Nigeria - A Health Perspective

[claudio]

From: "A Odutola" <chpss_abo at yahoo.com>
>
> Halliburtons Tax Evasion Scandal in Nigeria - A Health Perspective
> ------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> By its own admission and according to publicly available reports,
> Halliburton ­ the US based multinational oil services company once
> headed by current Vice President, Dick Cheney ­ disclosed to the US
> Securities and Exchange Commission in a regulatory filing that it
> made "improper payment" of US$ 2.4 million dollars between 2001 to
> 2002 to a Nigerian entity in an attempt to evade US$ 5.0 million dol-
> lars in tax liability. (1)
>
> The Guardian newspaper, a leading national daily in Nigeria reported
> that in the filing on Thursday May 8, 2003, Vice President Cheney's
> former company said its [Kellogg Brown Roots] KBR subsidiary "made
> improper payments of approximately US$ 2.4 million to an entity owned
> by a Nigerian national who held himself out as a tax consultant when
> in fact, he was an employee of a local tax authority".
>
> To put this scandal clearly in a health perspective, consider the
> following statement from UNICEF Nigeria:
>
> "Do you know that net proceeds from the purchase of 1 pack of [eight
> UNICEF greeting] cards [retailing for N350 Naira in local currency or
> the equivalent of US$ 2.70 by official rate of exchange] can buy
> enough vaccine to immunize 15 children against life-threatening mea-
> sles; or 8 children against the crippling effects of polio; or enough
> vitamin A supplement to protect 60 babies from Vitamin A deficiency
> blindness?"
>
> Now, have you ever wondered why in Nigeria:
> * 1 child dies every 4 seconds from malaria?
> * 76 of every 1000 live babies born die before reaching age 1?
> * 184 of every 1000 live babies born die before reaching the age of
>   5?
> * 1 in every 16 women suffers a lifetime risk of dying during the
>   process of giving birth?
> * Overall immunization rate is as low as 30%?
> * Less than 40% of people have access to clean water?
> * Most primary health centers and hospitals are often out-of-stock on
>   most basic and essential drugs like chloroquine and paracetamol
>   (acetaminophen)?
> * Many health professionals migrate to countries of the North for
>   lack of professional satisfaction?
> * Poverty is so endemic and reportedly over 70% of people live on
>   less than US 1.00 dollar a day?
>
> Put the blame on the likes of Halliburton, local and foreign, for
> perpetrating economic sabotage of the Nigerian nation state by paying
> an "entity"/individual US$ 2.4 million dollars to evade the payment
> of US$ 5.0 million dollars in taxes to the state.
>
> Since this story broke, no public information has been made available
> in Nigeria regarding any official investigation into the scandal for
> purposes of identifying the Nigerian beneficiary of this scandalous
> payment and bringing the "entity"/individual and the Halliburton sub-
> sidiary to expeditious justice.
>