AfricaPress-Tanzania: PRESIDENT Samia Suluhu Hassan’s directive to restore business confidence has touched the Congolese community in Dar es Salaam, and vowed to ask others to return.
The Business Congolese International (BCI) in the country said the directive, to create better relations with businesspeople, pleased them and they vowed to spread the good news back home.
BCI Deputy Chairman, Mr John Kapeta told africa-press yesterday that the president’s instruction has stimulated their will to continue doing business in the country.
“We have received the president’s directive with happiness, we will be ambassadors to tell our fellow Congolese businesspeople to come to Tanzania following this assurance. “We promise to work shoulder to shoulder with the Tanzanian government to raise the economy,” Mr Kapeta said.
President Samia yesterday when swearing-in Permanent Secretaries reiterated the need for avoiding criminalizing and bullying businesspeople in collecting taxes, arguing that the move has been scaring away traders and investors.
She further advised taxmen to avoid harassing taxpayers and instead directed them to raise tax base.
He argued that economic prosperity for Tanzania will not only benefit Tanzanians, but also the people of DR Congo. BCI’s Chairperson, Mr Mukendi Godefroid said the president’s statement has given new hope to the association and its members.
“Some businesspeople only needed to be educated over something which was unclear for them to pay tax instead of using force which may discourage them,” Mr Godefroid said.
The Chairperson noted that paying tax was important for development of the country, but the way the authorities collect could either motivate or demoralize investors.
The association believed that since the Head of State has emphasized on the issue of unfriendly collection of tax, it proved that she was aware of the problem.
Mr Godefroid further applauded the appointment of new bosses for Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) and Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA), institutions which they directly work with when importing and exporting goods through the Dar es Salaam Port.
He said BCI was capitalizing on the new appointees to speed up operations of the two authorities, and hence facilitate businesses in the country.
