ZRA exceeds revenue collection target by K558 million
THE Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) in 2017 exceeded its revenue collection target for export volumes into the Great Lakes Region by K558 million.
During the year under review, the authority had targeted to collect K1.114 million but ended up collection K1.7 million, representing an increase of K558 million.
The products that are exported to the Great Lakes Region through the Mpulungu Harbour are clinker, sugar, cement and maize.
In 2018, the office at Zambia’s only port is expected to collect K2.11 million of revenues through export volumes to the Great Lakes Region.
Mpulungu Harbour ZRA station manager, William Mwanza, said the authority would rise to the challenge and collect the much needed funds for this year. “In as much it is a small station, we contributed K1.7 million against a target of K1.1million,” he said.
He was speaking when the Minister of Finance, Felix Mutati, Minister of National Development Planning, Alexander Chiteme, and ZRA Commissioner General, Kingsley Chanda, toured Mpulungu Harbour.
And ZRA commissioner general Kingsley Chanda said the authority would soon embark on infrastructure development to motivate workers.
“We do certainly have some challenges, but as an organisation we have plans for renovation and expansion, we are targeting some areas. So for this year, we are doing Choma and Chinsali because they are new provincial centres after that we may consider Mpulungu,” he said.
Mr. Chanda said everything else was dependant on the availability of resources.
Meanwhile, Mr. Mutati commended ZRA for exceeding the target.
Mr. Mutati acknowledged that despite the local authority working under difficult conditions, it managed to exceed the set target for last year.
“I am very confident with the master plan for the re-development of the harbour. We need to integrate the revenue collection component in a proper structured manner.
“ZRA did well as an institution by exceeding its target. So I think in 2018 government needs to respond to give sufficient funds to be able to even do better ,” he said.