The Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) registered a surplus of K248.8 billion during the second quarter of this year representing a 11.6 percent rise against a target of K2, 153.1 billion.
ZRA Commissioner-General Chriticles Mwansa announced in Lusaka today at a press briefing that the Authority collected a total of K3, 179.9 billion in the same period representing a 24.5 percent of taxes.
Mr. Mwansa attributed the surplus recorded largely due to company taxes, pay as you earn, mineral royalties, excise duty, windfall tax and trade taxes.
He said ZRA is on course to register the targeted revenue as requested by government.
Meanwhile, the ZRA says it is concerned about the rampant smuggling of unfortified sugar in Eastern Province.
Mr. Mwansa said the Authority has since embarked on an anti-smuggling drive in the province.
He said the Authority has also installed a mobile radio communication network to enable staff communicate and operate effective.
Subsidise Meali-Meal….
Well done ZRA. However our biggest worry is how this sort of money gets spent. Is it not the same money being eyed for the Ministers increments? How sad. It would make a big difference if for instance GRZ announced that since we now have an increased revenue from the mines, hospitals so and so or college so and so will get such a facelift or alternatively such and such roads will be worked on using this aditional revenue. At least we would all know that it has paid to increase mine taxes. BUT alas its unfortuantely business as usual with no noticeable improvements!!!!!!!
Elilya start paying people now kabili!!!
That is good money, please let every ngwee be accounted for.
Do not use this money on Minister’s salaries!
Hey this is because of medical bills to be sorted, NCC to be paid, constitutional office bearers salary increaments, new model VXs to be bought, general malaise & bureaucracy in gov depts, lack of investment in social sectors, abuse of office (police vehicles carrying girlfriends, mealie meal and charcoal), run down infrastructure etc. the list is endless!! That is what this surplus is all about. When are we ever going to promote production seriously and not consumption? How long would a bannana or paw paw plantation on a massive scale cost to put up? These two friuts can be grown and turned over within a year if we are serious with certain breeds giving friut twice in twelve months. Shame!!
Why do we still beg for budget supplements? I’m really not clued on this on …. Can’t we just leave our lives free of bwanas who give us money.
Congrats ZRA but Bakapala will just take this money to their girl freinds instead of soughting out alot of pending developmental projects. Mind you you have told the nation that in four months time injanji ikapona kumulu so use this money wisely.
However ZRA can do better than that if they happen to be honest exept that they have realised that Mpombo naina, Mulongoti alinamatobo,RB (VP) bokosi nisotambe so nabena they are saying we shall not declare everything pakuti naifwe tukwateko amatako na matobo.
Just imagine what this money would do, if we just put it into infrastructure spending roads, hospitals, airports, etc. But other people called “Ministers” have other ideas, Yes of course, share it and spend big time.
Very Good News! At least we can pay our leaders good and respective packages deserving of their wise leadership. VIVA our God given leadership!
where does the money go at the end of the day?Oil prices are going up every day and you chaps are wallowing in such amounts of cash…we shall probe Chriticles and his fellows when LPM is gone….
Now this is the right time to buy and invest in Oil production either from Angola or in North Western Province.Please for cost living to go down we need to oil equipment & instal in North western province. Believe Oil is there please. lets stop importing…..We are loosing alot. When we self sufficient, eventually we shall start buying petrol or diesel per litre K500.00 in Zambia and bread will be selling at K0.50 because of low cost of production in zambia etc.
When you see your budgeted target being exceeded, just know something is wrong somewhere, either people here are being exploited or your system is fire fighting. I’ll never smile as long as I continue paying almost half of my salary as PAYE.
Iwe Chi Anonymous Ichimona Ubukulu , Pay who ???????
#5 i concur with you, Please lets put this money to good use like improving the UNZA and UTH SO much that when our leaders fall sick they should n’t be flown to expensive hospitals abroad.
ZRA does its work manje ba NYANDULE they steal & misapply
VIVA ZRA STAFF YOU ARE DOING IT RIT.TO ALL ZAMBIANS TRADERS LETS HELP OUR COUNTRY GAIN MO INCOME BY FIGHRTING SMAGLING.. TO THE GOVERMENT SPEND THE CASH WELL GIV US GOOD HEAL REQUAMENTS,EDUCATION AND BETER ROADS. BA Z
Now this is the right time to buy and invest in Oil production either from Angola up to Solwezi ,or in North Western Province.Please for the cost of living to go down, we need to import oil equipment & instal in North western province. Believe me Oil is there please. lets stop importing…..We are loosing out forex alot. When we are self sufficient, eventually petrol or diesel will be selling per litre at approx. K500.00 in Zambia and bread will be selling at K0.50 because of low cost of production in zambia etc. that what is required now for us to move forward.
WELL DONE ZRA! MPOMBO SAYS NO ONE WILL SEE THIS MONEY FOR HE IS ACTING PRESIDENT! WHAT? YOU HAVE HEARD!
what is in it for us?
#11, Abena Chriticles’s duty is to collect on behalf of Govt. They are just agents and the money they collect goes straight into Govt coffers. And then Magade decides on how much to give for there operations.
#13, ZRA always exceeds targets. You are supposed to probe govt on how they use the money. ZRA collects as per govt directive in the budget. Simple.
This is a superficial budget and needs to be adjusted, these surpluses every quarter are now the norm so where do they get the numbers in their forecasts. It’s either under forecasting or over taxation going on here and the ZRA chaps get their performance bonuses for something that is not real.
Good news!! However, what benefits??? Roads and most infrastructures in the nation deplorable.Now, where does this money go ?? People are heavily taxed and this is the consequence. We cannot celebrate this bad news. Let us see the money put into good use till we start seeing development in Zambia just as in Botswana.
Shame!!
thats why the thieves are excited and want to go ahead with their salary increaments. please direct these monies towards national development and not paying aba bakabwalala.
SOORY GUYS 17 SHOULD READ THE 1.BA Zaciouse ba le bombai agree with 21….
the way i see it, this information is being released now to assure us that there is enaf money to increase the ministers salaries.
Mwailasha nonse – Dont be excised, bcoz zed as country will benefit any ngwee from that money becoz it will be sent by Western Union to Percy for levy’s medicals and his madam + relatives upkeep and studies.
From my experience in this country, What ever you guys can discuss you are not develop this copuntry. the only solution is for us zambians to encourage ourselves & the govenment so that we invest in petrollium products e.g. n.w. & e. provinces. Countries that have oil, economically are stable.
Why put a picture of dollar sacks? A mental slavery dat! Me nuh glorify dollars, becah a blood currency dat, seen? De same dollar weh sell off our ancestors as human cargo to de West mek our pipo suffer economic slavery today. Can’t wait till de day de dollar die. Judgement!
Why put a picture of dollar sacks? A mental slavery dat! Me nuh glorify dollars, becah a blood currency dat, seen? De same dollar weh sell off our ancestors as human cargo to de West mek our pipo suffer economic slavery today. Can’t wait till de day de dollar die!
From my experience in this country, What ever you guys can discuss you can not develop this copuntry. the only solution is for us zambians to encourage ourselves & the govenment so that we invest heavily in petrollium industries e.g. n.w. & e. provinces. Countries that have oil industries, economically are stable.
ZRA WORKERS NEED SOME SERIOUS BONUS FOR THEIR HARD WORK…NOT THOSE GUYS,,CALLED MINISTERS AND CABINET.. WE CANT EVEN SEE THEIR RESULTS
Well done ZRA indeed. But half of the monies Collected will be paid back to companies in terms of duty Draw back, VAT refunds etc.
ZRA needs to broaden the Tax base so that we pay less with regards to PAYE
YES! I HOPE ZRA STAFF WILL NOW BE HANDSOMELY PAID NOT TUMA 15% YOU HAVE BEEN GIVING THEM.
THE 2% SHOULD BE GIVEN BACK TO ZRA SO THAT THEY FOCUS ON THEIR OPERATIONS, AND I ASSURE YOU NEXT TIME WE WILL SEE THAT FIGURE DOUBLED….
Now that you av got minaral royalties and windfall tax paid by mining companies, there’s need to reduce on pay as you earn. you see now these greedy miniters are going to share our money. there’s no smoke without fire, these ministers know or knew that government had collected enough money hence to av their salaries increased. can you pliz pay the hard working zambians.
#28 What are you on about!! Countries that have oil are economically, politically, socially and morally UNSTABLE!! Look at Nigeria, Iraq, Venezuala, Saudi, Russia……the list goes on.
All this extra money only brings greed! We need to have policies in place that prevents diversion of funds, corruption, pilfering of coffers. We, the tax payers, need to be vigilant of how this money is spent. If GRZ decides to award themselves pay increases then we cannot sit idly by, we must demonstrate (peacefully!!) and register our disgust by mass action. Alone we cannot change, together we can change Zambia for the better.
LT you hv moved my contr. all i was saying it the money will go to percy for someone’s medicals!
We need to invest in nana Technologies. Who is so enlightened in Grz to think like so? No one.
For crying out loud, we are hopelessly behind because those that are our leaders happen to have loud mouths. It follows that from loud mouths no brains.
Do they know what nano Technology is about?
Let us send our spies to Japan,UK, Germany, USA and elsewhere and learn and steal if need be this Technology.
Developed nations are what they are because of Technology.
Their intelligence system is basically set up partly to steal and access latest Technologies.
Where is Conman, I owe him an apology. On the issue at hand, increase in revennue or not if this money is not utilised for the right purpose for the benefit of all zambians we might as well not collect it. ZRA has tried its best to collect these revennues sometimes they have even reached the margins of the law just to ensure they meet their targets, but alas the decisions makers aka politicians have been selfish and utilised this money for God knows what.
Our educational system has been specifically arranged to stiffle original thinking.
We have chaps who have inflated degrees with nothing to show.
The kagem mines partly fund government expenditure, billions of money.
There are towns in India developed on money made from our emerald mines.
The country is damn rich and the leaders deliberately keep the masses ignorant.
The sheep have no sight, they are simply chewed.
Tell us how that money is intended to be used, not what you ve gathered.
Those sene senes and indians behind the emerald mines are amongst the riches you could come across.
You will never hear about their names mentioned anywhere, not even by forbes.
Has anyone heard about revenues from emerald mines.
#2, Sometime last year in the second quarter ZRA exceeded target and LPM directed that that surplus should be distributed in form of a second grant. The ministry of Health was such a beneficiary and i recall we were able to pay suppliers of goods and had a less stressful two months!!. Now that LPM is not there, cabinet wants to increase salaries at the expense of service delivery. This is one reason why we should be against cabinet increase of salaries.
Most of this money has already been spent. GRZ is earning everyday and spending everyday. The net is what we should be looking at.
Zambia can be another place with trully intelligent guys like Prof Chirwa, now will the sheep understand him?
We need people who have become embarrassed about our backwardness economically but still believe that we can salvage something out for Zambia in this equation of things.
Why did the Govt reduce retention allowance for degree holders from 20% to 15%?. Please, graduates need more than 20%. I hope they will reconsider their decision now that ZRA has plenty of Zambian Kwacha Sacks not Dollar sacks. We are not a state of America.
this bam dread ***** is back with his ganja language again. why cant you stop parroting this nonsense of the currency being reflected in dollars. did you want a picture of that marijuana plant or what. go home and faint man. next time you use that language i will send a virus to destroy your computer.
Total dependance wholly on Tax collection sucks if you ask me. It is a lazy mans way of survival.
If you fail to Produce and sell your own goods, you Tax your people heavily.
Look so many people like wearing Jackets, even when they are surrounded with dirt, come from dirty, surroundings, work in shops. I would rather that we incourage our people to wear overalls. We are too poor to live like kings.
The day I see innovation from our people beyond the Tuthembas, that the day I will know that we have some direction.
Let the Jah mon express himself…quite funny that, lighten up Conman!
Let the Jah man express himself…quite funny that, lighten up Conman!
chriticles mwansa is doing great for the nation but the problem is with govt full of kaponyas who don’t know how to plan.Always singing zambia is poor but how they spend those billions no one knows.Twasebana pafula please! develop zambia.we want zed to be famours.Can u see even lpm is not known by internation media.world doesn’t care about lpm’s sickness.
Well done ZRA, but one thing that annoys me is that only specific pipo pay tax to the government.what does surplus mean?it means you are stealing from innocent pipo especially at the borders who have no way out but to pay what you demand.Come on ZRA do you make cars yourself why make up your own prices at those borders?? Secondly, i would like the government to be doing annual tax assessment for individuals who contribute to tax so that they r refunded.
Yaaaah,Good money ZRA.I wish there were better roads in our compounds. it’s Time they dissolved the useless ‘ERB’this board
wants us to park our vehicles,so we can walk on foot.it’s time
to consitute ENERGY REGULATION AUTHORITY ‘ERA’which should be mandated to source cheap crude oil.Angola is one of them.
I know of a southern african country running road toll gates and what they do there is when the collections for any particular financial quater exceed the budgeted collection, then the charges for the next up coming quater get adjusted downwards so as to pass the behefits to the end-users who in this case are the motorists. In this light i have a suggestion for ZRA, REDUCE THE TAX PAYABLE BY THOSE WORKERS IN THE LOWER INCOME BRACKETS FOR SAY 1 OR 2 MONTHS PAY FOR THE BENEFITS TO TRICKLE DOWN TO CERTAIN SECTORS OF THE ECONOMY. Otherwise the plunderers in government will have a field day and loot the excess collections.
The more tax imposed on the few businesses and mines we have, the lesser the will to produce more on their part.
The simple fact is this, the more a country produces and exports the better.
The moment the local productive industries are over taxed, production is stifled and this has an effect on employment levels and revenue collection.
Our Tax base is small because there has never been a breather whereby Production has gone up in real terms to sustain employment gains.
The result is a shrinking Tax base with an increasing consumption and heavier taxes in return.
The revenue collected is not at all reflective of the possible potentials.
The money could quadruple several times over with the necessary measures put in place.
Another area as an example is foreign exchange controls. The country as it is ‘enjoying’ an over rated kwacha which in real terms is detrimental to the Export Market.
At individual level, it appears the strong kwacha is paying off. But most would admit that this is only as far as importing goods.
But the farmer, the Industrialist, the miner is having a terrible time since his goods have become too expensive to sell.
The ultimate result is loss of income as a nation and lesser income and a stifled growth.
There was an article some two months back about the exchange rate by a ‘mwansa’ in the post.
I read it in disbelief.
The fellow was yapping about theories and failed to touch on actuals.
Real rates and nominal rates blah, blah but it was all crap. No concrete substance to it and inadquate to support the advantages of a strong Kwacha.
Ba Tamanga BTW think that it is a sign of growth when the Kwacha is pegged at the current rate.
The ZRA’s revenue targets are based on the GDP. GDP growth is around 5%, and the ZRA has not broadened its tax base as such. Therefore, one can conclude with a high level of certainty that the exceeding of the targets, which is not supported by production (GDP), may be attributed to increased taxes, over-taxation, increased efficiency in the collection mechanisms or, is the GDP under-estimated?
Mwacita bwino bane pakuti tukaloshe bwino.
……nomba Francis Kaunda na Faustine Kabwe bakakwa
are u aware that in the central and southern africa we are the most heavily taxed in terms of pay as you earn,import duties/tax.eg zimbabwe up to now they pay 60% less than we do when they import a motor vehicle.so do have to be happy about this?
Great news but very sad at the same time! Imagine this, over taxed hardworking middle class, ZRA surplus, all this poured into a heavily leaking bucket (Boma…!). Just read in the Post that Lupando’s office spent K10bn around the time of 2006 elections on ‘extraordinary’ travel? That, fellow bloggers is the reason I never get excited about ZRA surpluses, if my memory serves me right, the ZRA blokes have been exceeding their targets for the past few yrs (without taking into account the nchekeleko they pocket). But have we seen improved schools, hospitals, roads, water & electricity supply? Nay, and so the sad story continues…..
WELL SAID,ARSENAL FC.the story of Africa.SAD very SAD.
To Arsenal well done, hope the guys play as good as your writing.Coming to ZRA am never excited coz i do believe that these guys can collect 3 times what they are reported to have collected if they had in place a proper system to get that money.2nd whats there to celebrate if the said funds are to be used by few people on non vital issues like travel, in fact when it comes to that k10 Lupando or MMD should pay back, remember during elections no one is allowed to use public funds.. so what happened?
ZRA are always very ruthless against Zambians who try to earn a living in very difficult conditions.They should be considerate that not all zambians earn what they earn.They always play enferior to any foreign nationals who import mechandise into Zambia and it really disgusts me
Job well done ZRA!!! But please find a way of stopping those easterners from stealing unfortified sugar. Kukonda misale. Can’t they learn fron true Zambians in Mazabuka? They never steal ifisali.
A pat on the back for ZRA. However, you can do better than that by relieving the tax burden heaped on the ordinary Zambians at the same time maintaining the surplus standards you have set for yourselves. That should be your challenge. I’m a bit behind on the issue of fortified/unfortified sugar. What are the options for a patriotic Zambian who wants Zambian sugar but does not want to take fortified sugar? You can get your vitamin A from mangoes, carrots , pawpaws and basically from any vegetable. Moreover most Zambians are vegeterians by economic induction. A friend of mine has resorted to honey because it is not fortified but still misses unfortified sugar.
Sata opposed the increase in mining tax which is now clearly bearing fruit within a very short time. The constitution making process which he also opposes will similarly yield positive results. LPM made very good decisions. Wish him quick recovery…
We all know that money that comes out of the blue is never spent wisely … given that boma is not a responsible one, get ready for the new Mercedes.
We lack far-sightedness and the result is being one of the most backward country.
Ba Blue mutwe LT, put kwacha symbols on the money bags.
I guess every dog has its day. Who would have thought Francis Kaunda was a thief and would go to prison one day!! Check the post July 14.
Cha musebanya!!
Thieves!!!!!
Indeed every dog has its day, a valuable lesson for todays leaders. Nobody is a perpetual leader, authority comes and goes but what matters is what you do with that authority. Case in point, FTJ. Mulongoti, please learn from this!!
Can Goverment please work on the roads on the CB. The former mining townships are a no go area in terms of vehicles.
The mining taxes are a paltry K255.6bn. That is only $75m. The total tonnage of copper produced in the past financial year was 520 000 tonnes. Average price was $8000 per tonne. In other words out of $4.16bn of copper worth Zambia only got $75m in taxes. Rip off!
No need to congratulate ZRA this is not the first time they have done it.Mwansa was recalled by LPM from Switzerland to help ZRA which was nose diving when some easterner was in charge. that aside recently they had surplus in billions and we do not even know where the monies went to. I do not know who to controls the money collected by ZRA. if that person exists then he is blind. our infrastructure needs attention asap, road xpansion, street lighting, hospitals, schools, accomodtion etc my fingers are now paining. naleka kuti nalufyanya. The whole country needs attention.
#82 Be senseble man, its not ZRA who decide how to do use the money after collecting it, its goes to MoF for distribution.
ZRA are thieves.anyway balilanda ati even the little that the poor have shall be taken away from them.kubombeshafye bakamba
# 83 read carefully and understand before you reply. ZRA will never decide what to do with the money they collect. sorry boi i am not a man…..
ba mbuli the mines have been stealing from us since i don’t know and only know is when you can get more than that?
we’re supposed to get 51% of the revenue from the mines not 11%
Guys, lets give these guys (ZRA & MOF) a chance they are on the right track.
Its good that there is a lot of improvement on the part of ZRA i pray that this money be accounted for and be put to good usage.Such as improving infrasture as some have mentioned in the above(good infrasture gives a good impression to people outside the country therefore attracting investors, and other things that could even help the zambian people get employment and government to get more revenue.Such as investing it in government run companies if their still some.
I also am really confuse as to why there is always aid from elsewhere in the budget even though the percentage has reduce to about 34%.It has to be removed completely and we stand on our feet.
ZRA is very much capable of doing even better with the support of all concerned zambians
#51 Conman, so you want fi test de Rastaman? Send you virus, bwoy and me father go send you lightning! You coulda vex until you head turn blue but I man will never dashing de lingua how mi feel, seen? Smoke a spliff an’ give yuh nerves a rest man, you too tense! Why you a gwaan so stoosh? Ease up! Tcho!
Me mean: I man will never stop dashing de lingua…
BUM DEM DREAD
Teach man ya lingua, me da tink ya linga rocks great. Bot I and I Luk de ganja first, still seeing the birds flying backwards and the leaves dem whisper.
#92 Yeah mon, easy. Come check me downtown (city market) and mek we dweet. Me de inna khaki suit, long dreads and sandals. We go roll up one spliff bigga dan cigar and smoke till we eyes dem red. When we done, not even Conman can test I an’ I.
Mama mia me da come luk speeding bullet in no time. de first man de see wearing jah colours dats me.
This bam dread ***** doesnt listen to advise. Listen man. I will send DEC to sort you out. This language u are using is not english is killing our eardrums. Listen rastafarai is in your intoxicated head man. Haile selassie your prophet was a god damn murderer. Repent from that ganja of yours.
#8 you made my day and #10 just broke it again.Which part of zed do u live in #10,or which position do u hold ?