TAXMAN ENCOURAGES STORIES ON TAX
The media plays a central role in promoting tax compliance. Their stories on tax related matters educate eligible taxpayers to pay what is due from them. This was said by Botswana Unified Revenue Services acting Commissioner General, Segolo Lekau when welcoming journalists at a week-long media training at Manong Lodge, just outside Lobatse on Monday. He said, by writing tax related matters, journalists help the government agency to be in a position to have more people comply as they will be made aware of the importance of tax to the general economy.
“Your primary role as information providers helps people make informed decisions, and in this case propelling the mandate of the revenue service and related services,” said Lekau, who has been acting for nearly two years. BURS was formed primarily to assess and collect taxes on behalf of government. “For us to carry out this mandate, we cannot go at it alone but need your support to help us deliver the necessary and critical information and education, and how it contributes to the broader transformation of the
economic landscape of Botswana,” he pointed out as a matter of fact. With diamonds, the main cog of the economy, blowing hot and cold due to COVID-19, taxes are the main source of the revenue which helps the country continue with its economic and developmental agenda. Botswana, a developing country, has benefited handsomely from the revenue that BURS collects. According to the budget speech presented by the former finance minister, Dr Thapelo Matsheka, total revenue and grants for the 2021/22 budget speech is estimated at P64.58 billion. BURS is expected to collect nearly 68 percent of this total, signalling the importance of the taxman in the economy at large.
Nonetheless, the taxman has always faced challenges such as internal capacity and limited budget to effectively carry out this mandate. Furthermore, Lekau disclosed that the agency is currently working on a Tax Administration Diagnostic Assessment Tool, which will measure the effectiveness of the operations of tax administration against international best practices. One of the areas that are under assessment include publicity, education and communications.