Maputo  - The global economic crisis has hit Mozambique hard, with losses of up to 100 million dollars in tax revenue expected this year, media reports quoting government officials said Wednesday.

Rosario Fernandes, head of the Mozambican Tax Authority, was quoted in reports as having said: "Calculations made so far, indicate that the tax losses as a result of the effect of the global financial crisis on Mozambique will be around 100 million."

He cautioned, however, that this was merely a forecast, and that the tax authority was in the process of warning companies and institutions to comply with tax payments by auditing corporate accounts or financial results.

"We are intensifying probes into the data given to us by the companies to verify to what extend the information, especially with regard to tax payments and remittances, is accurate or represent the real situation of the companies."

A special unit was set up to deal with bigger projects, such as the case of Mozal aluminium smelter, whose financial results were being scrutinized after the company declared it was being affected by the crisis and shed 100 jobs.(dpa)