AfricaPress-Tanzania: A SWISS firm, Société Industrielleet Commerciale de Produits Alimentaires (SICPA SA) through its subsidiary SICPA Tanzania has said Tanzanians will soon be able to identify fake products in the market through use of any mobile phone.
SICPA SA through its subsidiary SICPA Tanzania won the contract to install the electronic tax stamps (ETS), system in Tanzania and the first phase was rolled out in January 2018 while the second phase kicked off in August.
According to Tanzania Communication Regulatory Authority (TCRA), for the quarter ending December last year, the subscriptions to mobile and fixed network reached 47,761,520.
In his presentation to the Parliamentary Budget Committee in Dodoma recently, the SICPA’s General Manager in Tanzania, Xavier Davard said currently through the technology, smart phones owners can now determine the real stamps through their phones.
“In the next few days, even people who do not possess smart phones will be able to identify fake products through their mobile phones,” he said.
During the meeting, Kigoma South MP, Hasna Mwilima asked SICPA to fast track its technology to ensure that people who could not afford to purchase smart phones were equally capable of receiving information on the stamps.
The MPs also underscored the need to provide more education to Tanzanians on the application of ETS which they described as the best system to hike revenue collection.
So far according to him, the project had facilitated employment opportunities to 172 people; Out of which 171 were Tanzanians in the system which has currently 203 taxpayers.
“On Training, we have so far trained 437 TRA employees as well as 289 tax payers and our major target is to protect the local economy,” he insisted, adding that the training sessions would continue after the end of Covid-19 outbreak in the country.
The company has already undertaken similar projects in various countries, including Kenya, Morocco, Malaysia, Brazil, Albania, Turkey and Uganda.
The ETS system will enable TRA to track on real time the volume of all alcoholic, carbonated drinks and cigarettes produced in respective production lines and ultimately compute requisite taxes due.
During the first phase, which kicked off on January 15, 2019, a total of 62 producers and importers were enrolled for the system, with 44 e-machines having been fitted in 23 factories.
