Africa-Press – Tanzania. TANZANIA Revenue Authority (TRA) has recorded a collection of 1.535tri/- in July-the first month of the current fiscal year, up from 1.284tri/- that was collected in the corresponding period last year.
The Director of Information Services and Chief Government Spokesperson, Gerson Msigwa said yesterday that the collection is equivalent to 97.4 per cent of the target.
“The collection, however, is apart from the levies from mobile money transactions,” he said, noting that since the beginning of the fiscal year 2021/2022 the government has been on track in implementing development projects.
Going forward, he maintained that the government would continue to improve the trade and business environment for the sake of increasing the tax base and revenues in general.
“We appreciate traders and businessmen who have been responding positively on paying tax which in turn, will be channeled to the implementation of development projects,” noted MrMsigwa as he was addressing a press conference in Dodoma.
The July collection have opened the government coffers for the 2021/2022 financial year where the state has set a budget of 36.34 tri/- of which TRA is targeted to collect 22.18 tri/-.
In another development, during the current fiscal year, the government is expected to cash in more than 46.5bn/- being property tax to be collected through electricity tokens.
Mr Msigwa said the new system will increase the collections from 36bn/- that were recorded in the past.
He assured that the power utility, Tanesco in collaboration with TRA are working on challenges that have emerged, and that everything will be put in place within a short period of time.
The new system is being implemented following the amendments of the local government tax which was passed in the 2021/22 budget meeting that also reviewed the property levies.
Under the new rates, a total of 12, 000/- will be charged per standard building up from 10, 000/- that of the past,
More so, 60, 000/- is being charged per single storey building being an increase of 10,000/- from 50,000/- that were being collected previously.
“The new arrangement has put in place a system that electricity buyers will be deducted 1,000/- per month for a normal house and 5,000/- per month for a storey building,” he insisted.
According to him, the new mode was established as part of efforts to ensure timely payment and prevent property owners from penalties that were being charged after delaying to clear their.
“It also saves time as now, property owners will not be supper to queue in the TRA offices to pay their fees, also they are out of risk of being fined,” elaborated Mr Msigwa.
