Africa-Press – Eswatini. The Eswatini Revenue Service (ERS) has set a target of E1 billion to raise in a space of a year to achieve their goal of a 100% Voluntary Compliance.
The set target was disclosed by ERS Commissioner General, Brightwell Nkambule, on April 7, 2026 at the ERS Boardroom during a signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Eswatini National Provident Fund (ENPF), with the latter Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Futhi Tembe, as the signatory.
“As the ERS, we will start with our vision, which states: “A 100% Voluntary Compliance for a better Kingdom of Eswatini”, it speaks to the fact that all those who are supposed to register for tax will register for tax. All those who are required to submit their tax returns report will submit their tax returns report on time and in full, and will in addition pay in full the required tax amount,” said Nkambule.
He added that in order to achieve the goal of the 100% Voluntary Compliance, they will need to work hard. He said there are a lot of things they needed to do, and these entail the installation of systems to automate their internal processes.
“We also need to work hand-in-hand or collaborate with other regulatory agencies for purposes of accessing and being in possession of data which they also have within their systems in order to adequately close the gaps that have been or will be identified. As ERS, the last time we monitored the prevalence tax gap, it amounted to E4 billion, which we are unable to collect annually, and that translates to about 69% of the tax gap,” he said.
The commissioner general said they were then privileged to visit their counterparts overseas, Finland, and they found that their (Finland) tax gap was at just 95%. First and foremost, he said they (ERS) were motivated by these findings because this meant their 100% target was possible. Looking at how Finland managed to reach 95%, he said they discovered that there is very little Finland do that ERS did not do, except that their regulatory agencies work together, collaborate, and discuss issues, which is why they were able to reach the 95%.
“In the same way, we also want to collaborate with the ENPF, which we can say is another sister regulatory agency, hence this collaboration today. We will collaborate, share data, share expertise, so that the client is well catered for to close the gap. Our shared client with the ENPF is the member, which is the employee. In order to close this E4 billion annual tax gap, our target as of today is to raise at least close to E1 billion from now until next year,” said Nkambule.
He said the gap was too big and it was as a result of, among other things, employers who would allegedly collect Pay As You Earn (PAYE) from employees and then not remitted to the ERS. He then mentioned that since the ERS was not privy to employer-employee data, the MoU signing aimed at address that gap and subsequently achieve the 100% Voluntary Compliance.
ERS tax returns are official, mandatory documents submitted by taxpayers to report annual income, expenses, and tax liabilities for a specific fiscal year. These filings, commonly termed Income Tax Returns (for individuals/companies) or PAYE Monthly Deduction Returns, allow ERS to assess tax liability, usually by October 31st, often submitted via the TaxEase portal.
Key Aspects of Eswatini Revenue Authority Tax Returns
• Types & Usage: Returns are used for self-assessment, including Income Tax (for individuals and businesses) and Payroll taxes (PAYE), ensuring taxes on earnings are properly documented and paid.
• Submission Deadlines: Annual income tax returns are typically due by October 31st for companies and self-employed individuals, while PAYE returns for employees must be filed monthly by the 7th.
• Platform: Returns are generally filed online via the TaxEase portal, which offers a 24-hour self-service system for managing tax obligations.
• Consequences of Non-Submission: If returns are not submitted, ERS can raise “estimated assessments” to compel compliance.
• Purpose: These reports enable ERS to calculate taxes on incomes or profits, covering personal income, corporate tax, and withholding taxes.
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