In a bid to encourage citizens to pay their taxes, the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) Commissioner General Dingani Banda has emphasized the need for people to contribute towards building a more civilised society.
Speaking at a two-day workshop in Lusaka , Banda reiterated the importance of paying taxes, noting that they were a key source of revenue for the government. He highlighted that it was the responsibility of every citizen to contribute towards the development of the country, adding that there was no need to rely on outsiders to improve Zambia’s civilisation.
“Colleagues, you will agree with me that the onus of developing Zambia lies on us, the Zambian people. We cannot continue to depend on others to come and improve our civilisation. We need to take responsibility and pay our taxes to build a more civilised economy,” Banda said.
The Commissioner General further noted that the government had been implementing various measures to improve tax collection, including the use of technology and the streamlining of tax processes. He added that the ZRA was committed to ensuring that taxpayers understood their obligations and were able to comply with the tax laws.
Banda also urged citizens to report any tax evasion or fraud, noting that such actions had a negative impact on the economy and hindered development efforts. He emphasized that the ZRA had put in place measures to deal with tax evaders and would not hesitate to take legal action against those found to be breaking the law.
The ZRA has been working to increase tax compliance in Zambia, which has been affected by high levels of informal economic activity and tax evasion. In 2020, the authority announced a tax amnesty program, which allowed taxpayers to settle their outstanding tax liabilities without incurring penalties or interest.
The government has also been implementing various tax policy reforms aimed at boosting revenue collection and improving the business environment. These include the introduction of a simplified tax regime for small businesses and the removal of import duty on selected agricultural products.
The ZRA’s efforts have started yielding positive results, with the authority reporting a 19% increase in tax revenue collection in the first half of 2021 compared to the same period in 2020. The authority has attributed the increase to improved compliance and the implementation of tax policy reforms.
The ZRA Commissioner General Dingani Banda has emphasized the importance of paying taxes for building a more civilised society in Zambia. He urged citizens to take responsibility for their country’s development and contribute towards the economy by complying with tax laws. The ZRA has been implementing various measures to improve tax compliance and increase revenue collection, including the use of technology, tax policy reforms, and the implementation of tax amnesty programs. The authority has reported positive results, and the efforts are expected to continue towards building a more prosperous Zambia.
The politicians squander tax money and the contempt with which they treat tax payers, one would think that tax payers aren’t important. They’re the least important component in the governance system. Let’s one day just default on our tax obligations and see if politicians won’t be on their knees
Lead by example bwana maybe and just maybe people will listen. How is paying tax to send a rich president on a shopping spree using tax payers money to charter a presidential jet when he already has 2 and looking to sell one on the cheap to himself sound to you? Si Kupus@ uko?
“Pay tax if you want to live in a civilised society – ZRA”
They’re not going to get people to pay more taxes through snob appeal.
By the way… the government isn’t collecting taxes from the mining sector, so why should the citizens pay for that level of corruption? While copper is given away? While the currency declined from par to the US dollar to under 6 cents to the US dollar.
That’s not exactly motivational, is it?
Roads full of potholes, water supply non existent, no drugs in hospital , no police patrols in townships so crime is now a permanent neighbor. What is my tax used for? To pay those who are too lazy to work but strong enough to stand for political office?
I’m better off going to KMB and distribute money to everyone there.
The govt needs to do two things here, focus on large companies and do not kill or discourage small and medium sized businesses from growing. If you start moving around these tuntenbas asking for tax no one tomorrow is going to open that kantenba and that will affect wholesalers, manufacturers, banks and the govt itself because there will be less goods being sold through the informal sector. The amount of tax revenue the country can earn from say just the cargo that passes from DRC to Tanzania, South Africa and vice versa as an example is alot but have we maximised on it, no we haven’t.
We have been paying tax for 60 years and still dont live in a civilised society. Whom are you kidding?
Lusaka times is still PF month piece. You have not reported about the first convict of the PF corruption, the MD of the Development Bank of Zambia ,in which schools fees have landed him 15 months prison with hard labour.