Africa-Press – Tanzania. TANZANIA Revenue Authority (TRA) in Kariakoo Tax Region has launched a 14-day door to door taxpayer education campaign, with the intention of promoting voluntary tax compliance.
“This campaign is part of our customer care and looks to reach out larger section of traders and their customers on the importance of demanding and issuing receipts using Electronic Fiscal Devices (EFDs) receipts,” said Mr Isihaka Shariff, Kariakoo Regional Head of Tax Payers Service and Education Department.
Mr Shariff, who was addressing journalists in his office yesterday, said that the campaign was part of efforts to ensure that taxpayers are equipped with basic skills of paying their rightful tax dues without cumbersomeness and that customers would as well ensure that they demand receipts with the right amount spent on purchased goods.
Recently, President Samia Suluhu Hassan told taxmen to assure that taxes, which are important for the nation’s development, are collected in a holistic manner, and assuring that business continue to flourish than policing and harassing taxpayers.
“The door to door campaign also looks to create responsible citizens who voluntarily demands receipts showing amount spent on goods, than waiting for penalties,” he said.
Mr Shariff assured the general public in Kariakoo region that there was no need of fearing the possibility of being handled with counterfeit EFD receipts, as the Taxman has already dealt with such a loophole.
He said that TRA has strengthened its EFD machines and system used to ensure that it cannot easily used to produce forged receipts than original ones.
However, Mr Shariff warned that for those not issuing EFD receipts or demanding them, penalties of up to 4.5m/- would still face them per legal requirement. “Not issuing receipts, a trader may be liable for a fine mounting to 4.5m/-.
While customers not demanding receipts may be liable to up to 1.5m/- ,” The Kariakoo tax region which is one of the busiest business centres in the country had a total of 20,000 registered taxpayers—includes large, medium and small scale registered taxpayers.
According to Mr Shariff, simplification of modes of tax paying like embarking on electronic and online systems, has led to increase revenue collection in the country.
