Samia urges tax efficiency as she opens 9.4bn/- TRA building

BARIADI: PRESIDENT Samia Suluhu Hassan has said that Tanzania has a higher chance of being dependent if taxes will be well collected.

The Head of State made the statement when inaugurating a new building of the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) office in Simiyu Region worth 9.4bn/-, saying that domestic revenue is more than sufficient to implement various developments in the country.

“We must collect our domestic revenue. How long will we keep begging? We don’t need to beg; our domestic funds are enough if we collect them effectively. Tanzania has everything; we don’t need to rely on aid,” she said.

She added, “As a government, we must collect taxes so our country can thrive. We’ve achieved a lot across various sectors because of internal revenue; He who owns something is more proud than one who depends on aid”.

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Moreover, the President said it is vital for the TRA officials to be friendly when collecting taxes so as to make businesspeople pay tax willingly by understanding its benefits.

“A businessperson should not be your enemy. If they fail to pay, call them in and talk to them, but don’t confiscate their property or lock their offices unless necessary. That should be reserved for rebellious and arrogant individuals, but it should not become our norm. Some simply do not know,” she said.

Furthermore, she praised the authority for making massive strides in the collection of revenue, noting that ever since she came into power, the trend of collection has been good.

“We have allocated higher collection targets to you in the upcoming budget, and I am confident those targets can be achieved,” she said.

The modern three-story building launched has the capacity to accommodate 200 staff and offers integrated services under one roof, including a bank section and a conference facility for taxpayer education.

The initial cost for the construction of the office was estimated to be 9.9bn/- billion, but after some budget adjustments, the final cost amounted to 9.4bn/-.

The building is expected to enhance the delivery of quality services to taxpayers.