TRA collects 16.5tri/- in six months

DAR ES SALAAM: TANZANIA Revenue Authority (TRA) has collected 16.5 tri/- between July and December last year, achieving a success rate of 104.6 per cent.

TRA Commissioner General Mr Yusuph Mwenda said that the authority has targeted to collect 30.04 tri/- in the 2024/2025 financial year but it has so far collected 55 per cent of the annual target.

However, in December alone the authority has achieved a historic milestone by collecting 3.587 tri/-, surpassing its target for the period.

He told journalists in Dar es Salaam on Wednesday that the authority had aimed to collect 3.465 tri/- for December and ended up collecting 3.587 tri/- which is equivalent to 104 per cent of the target.

“Given the improved relationships with our customers and the professionalism of our staff, we are confident that by the end of the year, we will have met the target of 30.04 tri/-,” Mr Mwenda said.

In comparison to the corresponding period of the preceding year (2023), Mr Mwenda said that TRA collected 13.9 tri/-, which marks an 18 per cent increase in collections.

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“The integration of systems and the growth of economic activities in the country have contributed to the increase in revenue. The influx of goods at the ports, particularly with the involvement of DP World, has also played a significant role in boosting tax collections,” he added.

Moreover, the TRA boss said that before President Samia took office, the authority’s collection was 9 tri/- for the same six-month period, reflecting a 78 per cent increase in collections since then.

Mr Mwenda expressed gratitude to President Samia Suluhu Hassan for providing guidance to the authority on how to effectively manage tax collections.

He said the guidelines included strengthening cooperation with taxpayers, listening to their concerns, improving tax systems and enhancing the efficiency of TRA staff, who continue to demonstrate professionalism in their work.

He noted that customer complaints had decreased significantly and positive relationships between the authority and taxpayers had improved.

Mr Mwenda also called on the few individuals who evade tax to join their law-abiding counterparts in paying taxes for the development of the nation.

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He also pledged that TRA will continue to provide education and use investigative tools to identify those who fail to contribute to the country’s development.

He expressed his appreciation to the taxpayers, saying that the successful collections over the past six months serve as proof that cooperation with taxpayers contributes to higher revenue generation.

“We sincerely thank the taxpayers of this country for their continued support,” he added.