'Render to Caesar what belongeth to Caesar!' urges official

Arusha region is confident of raising to reach its projected revenue of collecting the target of 223 billion/- before the end of the ongoing fiscal year next June.

Acting Regional Manager of Tanzania Revenue Authority, Ms Theresia Mponeja said so far the precinct has collected 176 billion which is 26 percent of the target and that TRA here is confident to surpass the target before the next National budget of 2013.

'Render onto Caesar whath belongeth to Caesar!' The TRA official pointed out here that the 176 billion/- collected in just five months between July and November 2012 beat the total revenue that was previously raised in the region for the financial entire year of 2010-2011

"Many people in Arusha have got the hang of settling their tax payments voluntarily, which now means TRA can collect more revenue using little expenses and manpower," revealed Ms Mponeja.

It has been observed however that unscrupulous business people and firms are still by-passing legal transactions by selling goods without issuing cash-sale receipts and many of their customers prefer the arrangements because the items are charged less under the rackets.

Also being the region bordering Kenya, Arusha is notorious for contraband consignments of goods imported from the neighboring countries that adds to loss revenues since the dealers used illegal channels.

Arusha, which used to rank second after Dar-es-salaam in pooling into the national coffers by collecting between 5.2 and 5.5 percent of the total country's revenues, fell into the third place, when the region was split into two (giving birth to Manyara in 2003) when the percentage fell to between 3.5 and 4.0 percent.

Mwanza, which collects 5.0 percent overtook Arusha and claimed the second position after Dar-es-salaam which pools in a lion share of 76 percent.

However, economic experts here point out that, the 76 percent figure credited to Dar-es-salaam is also being highly contributed by business people, firms and companies operating in Arusha who pay their taxes directly to the TRA headquarters.