ZRA collects record 81bn/- in January 2025

ZANZIBAR: THE Zanzibar Revenue Authority (ZRA) has achieved a recordbreaking revenue collection of 81.512bn/- in January 2025, surpassing its target of 80.984bn/- and achieving an efficiency rate of 100.65 per cent.

Announcing the milestone during a press conference at his office in Mazizini on Monday, ZRA Acting Commissioner General, Said Ali Mohammed hailed the achievement as the highest revenue collection in the authority’s history.

“The January 2025 revenue collection is a remarkable achievement, exceeding last year’s total of 70.180bn/-.

This year’s figure shows an increase of 11.332bn/-, marking a 16.15 per cent growth,” Mr Mohammed said.

“This is the highest revenue collection ever recorded by ZRA.” Reflecting on the first seven months of the 2024/2025 financial year (July–January), Mr Mohammed said that ZRA had originally projected collections of 500.187bn/- but exceeded this target, collecting 510.545bn/-— achieving 102.07 per cent of the goal.

When compared to the same period in the 2023/2024 financial year, which saw collections of 421.949bn/, the ZRA recorded an increase of 88.595bn/-, reflecting a 21 per cent growth in revenue.

Explaining the reasons behind this success, Mr Mohammed credited the country’s top leadership for fostering a favourable investment climate in Zanzibar.

“Stable and predictable tax policies, combined with peace, unity and security, have attracted significant investments, which in turn have boosted government revenue,” he said.

Other contributing factors included increased economic activity between Zanzibar and mainland Tanzania, higher fuel consumption for road transport and improved enforcement of withholding tax measures.

Looking ahead, Mr Mohammed outlined several strategies ZRA would implement in February 2025 to sustain and enhance revenue collection.

These include launching tax education campaigns to raise awareness among taxpayers, strengthening enforcement to ensure businesses use the Electronic Fiscal Management System (EFMS) for issuing receipts and establishing tax service camps to bring services closer to businesses and encourage voluntary tax compliance.

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“Other plans include enhancing the inspection and monitoring of goods entering Zanzibar from mainland Tanzania through its ports and closely tracking government projects to ensure accurate tax collection from ongoing construction initiatives,” he added.

Mr Mohammed also praised Zanzibar President Dr Hussein Mwinyi for his continued support of ZRA, which has contributed to the improvement in revenue collection.

He further commended the House of Representatives and the Parliamentary Committees on Government Accounts and Budget for their guidance and oversight in strengthening revenue management and preventing leakages.

On the issue of counterfeit ZRA receipts, Mr Mohammed issued a stern warning to businesses against purchasing receipts from third parties.

He said that all transactions should be processed through official ZRA channels to ensure authenticity.

He also urged the public to report any suspicious activities or traders refusing to issue receipts through ZRA’s official hotline.

Mr Mohammed reaffirmed ZRA’s commitment to supporting the government in achieving its development goals through effective tax administration.

He called on all citizens to cooperate with the authority by paying taxes voluntarily and demanding electronic receipts, helping ensure that the government can collect the necessary revenue to improve public services.