TRA strives to achieve revenue target

Dar es Salaam. Facing a requirement of collecting Sh18 trillion to partly finance the 2018/19 budget, the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) said yesterday that it was doing everything possible to ensure that the goal is achieved.
During the first nine months of the current financial year, the taxman collected Sh11.96 trillion only.
Nonetheless, the TRA director of taxpayer education and services, Mr Richard Kayombo, told Mwananchi Communications Limited (MCL) reporters and editors in Dar es Salaam yesterday that a number of issues were on the taxman’s cards to raise tax collection. In line with its current five-year corporate plan, TRA has come up with a number of strategies that seek to ensure that taxpayers are able to remit their dues in a hassle-free environment.
“Through our different segments of property tax, business taxes as well as revenue, we are sensitising the public to pay taxes on arrears and not wait for the last moment to avoid overcrowding, which has proved to be challenging,” he said.
He said TRA has been registering new taxpayers and conducting inspections and audits as a way of increasing tax payments.
To make the tax payment exercise enjoyable, the taxman was also encouraging taxpayers to pay their dues right from the comfort of their offices via the Revenue Gateway System or via mobile phones.
“If one wants to remit Sh5 million at once to TRA, we recommend the use of the Revenue Gateway System while for the one who wants to pay below that amount, they are free to use a mobile phone and remit the money at the comfort of their offices,” he said.
To ensure that it leaves no room for smuggling in borders and along the coast of the Indian Ocean, Mr Kayombo said TRA officials were collaborating with security organs in patrolling the coast from Mtwara to Tanga. “We are working round the clock in patrolling the areas to ensure that everyone who does business pays tax,” he said.
On the special Identification cards (ID) issued to small scale traders, Mr Kayombo said the law requires such documents to be issued only to people whose gross turnover is not more than Sh4 million per year.
As such, he said those seeking to destroy the government’s good intention of issuing the cards by using them as a loophole to dodge tax payment, will be dealt with accordingly when the truth I known.
In efforts to expand the tax base, Mr Kayombo said TRA in collaboration with the National Identification Authority (Nida) were working together to enable the public access Taxpayer Identification Numbers (Tin) at the taxman’s offices at regional and district levels.