ZRA LAUNCHES POINT OF SALE SYSTEM AT BORDER POSTS

THE Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) has launched the first ever Point of Sale (POS) system which will allow tourists and cross border traders clearing their goods to make payments using their debit or credit cards.

This is one of the many efforts meant to ultimately have a single payment point where all payments are being made at the border posts, according to the ZRA Commissioner-General, Mr Dingani Banda.

“We want to ultimately have a single payment point where all payments are being made at the border and today we have launched for the first time the point of sale.

“Meaning that as a tourist comes in, they don’t need to go around the bureaus, they can easily pay using their debt or credit card or whatever mode of payment,” Mr Banda said.

He noted that ZRA was implementing various strategic reforms in border posts to ensure tourists and cross border traders were not subjected to multiple processes when clearing their goods.

Mr Banda pointed out the implementation of the Coordinated Border Management (CBM) model which had reduced the number of border agencies to six from 16 as one of the strategic reforms being implemented.

He said some Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) had also been signed between ZRA and some of the agencies which had been removed from the borders.

The signed MoUs will enable ZRA to carry out the agencies’ activities.

“We have started the implementation of the Coordinated Border Management where MoUs have been signed among the institutions. Some of the institutions have moved out of the borders and we have taken up the responsibility of handling some of their processes.

“For example, the toll fees now under the Road Transport and Safety Agency are being collected by ZRA. Overall, what we intend to achieve is an environment where we do not subject both the tourists and the cross-border traders to multiple checks, multiple interventions,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mr Banda announced that ZRA was also working on connecting its system to Interpol to enable it conduct checks in the background as passengers clear their goods.

He said ZRA also was keen to automate the passenger clearance to ensure traders clear their goods while on transit.

“The authority wants to introduce the pre-clearance system in passenger clearance where traders are able to declare goods and make payments using the digital platforms even before they reach the border,” Mr Banda said.