Bukoba — KAGERA: Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) has appealed to traders across the country to ensure that they keep proper records of their business transactions to enable the institution to make correct tax assessments.
A Senior Tax Officer from TRA, Mr Shariff Isihaka urged business people to pay the right taxes on time to avoid unnecessary penalties and other inconveniences.
He made the remarks here on Tuesday during a media capacity-building training on tax-related issues.
"My appeal to all Tanzanians is to make a habit of voluntary tax compliance. Paying the right taxes enables the government to render the necessary social services in various sectors including health, education, water and other infrastructures," he said.
Mr Isihaka also appealed to TRA officials at regional and district levels to increase the number of taxpayers in their respective areas, create a good environment to do business and demonstrate fairness when estimating and collecting taxes from traders.
Meanwhile, during the 2023/2024 financial year, TRA has a target to collect about 118.3bn/- while during the first quarter (July 2022-September 2023) the authority had already collected 28.3bn/- (approx. 99.3 per cent) of collecting 28.5bn/-.
TRA in Kagera Region has managed to collect a total of 281.28bn/- between the 2020/2021 to 2022/2023 financial year, equivalent to 101.1 per cent performance.
TRA Communication Officer, Mr Rwekaza Rwegoshora explained that the target was to collect 278.37bn/- between 2020/2021 to 2022/2023 financial year, but the authority surpassed the target.
He attributed the good performance to the teamwork among TRA workers and the voluntary payment of taxes by traders.
He also appealed to Tanzanians to pay taxes as required by the law to enhance economic development and avoid unnecessary inconveniences that may occur due to non-compliance.
"The government needs more efficiency in revenue collection and any identified gap should be sealed.
The government has come up with strategies to ensure that all sources of revenue are identified, promote the use of electronic payment and maintain transparency in tax collection," he said.
