ZACCI commends Govt for withdrawing importation and supply of petroleum products

THE Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) is currently running a Tax Amnesty Programme ( TAP) covering liabilities for tax periods up to September 30, 2022.

The ZRA has therefore dedicated the first 10 days of the TAP Taxpayer Education and Awareness as its part of efforts meant to increased tax compliance.

This is according to the ZRA Chief Executive Officer, Mr Dingani Banda, at the 2023 national budget public symposium in Lusaka this week.

Mr Banda said TAP provided an avenue to enhance voluntary compliance, reduce the debt stock, and thereby enhance revenue collection.

“ZRA is running a tax amnesty programme from 1st October, 2022 to 31st March, 2023, covering liabilities for tax periods up to 30th September 2022. The first 10 days of TAP are dedicated to Taxpayer Education and Awareness.

“The TAP aims to offer relief to taxpayers in light of the adverse effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on business, before the automatic charging of interest and penalties is effected in April 2023,” he said.

Mr Banda emphasised that this was a limited opportunity for taxpayers to have their existing penalties, interest and fines written off upon settlement of the principal tax and fulfilment of other obligations.

He explained that TAP intended to accord taxpayers an opportunity to normalise their tax records and ensure that they were tax compliant.

Meanwhile, Mr Banda said ZRA would next year interface its systems with Government Systems.

Taxonline System, he said, would be interfaced with the Integrated Financial Management Information System and the Land Management System.

He also said Government would make it mandatory for all public bodies to verify with ZRA any tax liabilities and withhold amounts owed to the authority before making payment to suppliers of goods and services. “This will assist in curtailing the tax debt as some of the entities who owe ZRA are still supplying to public entities,” Mr Banda said.