Friday, March 29, 2024

All revenue collecting bodies to deposit all collections direct to the Treasury by January 2013

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Secretary to the Treasury, Fredson Yamba
Secretary to the Treasury, Fredson Yamba

Secretary to the Treasury Fredson Yamba says government will with effect from January 2013 make it mandatory for all Ministries, Provinces and revenue collecting statutory bodies to deposit all collections of fees and fines directly to the treasury.

Mr. Yamba said the Treasury wants to minimize human direct contact with cash especially in areas where banking services are available.

Speaking at a press briefing on the implementation of a pilot project for Direct deposit fees for Zambia National Travel and Citizenship documents in Lusaka today, Mr. Yamba said as was noticed from the Auditor General’s report, reports of theft and misappropriation of funds have been on an increased.

He said this development has deprived the citizenry of the much needed development and access to social services.

He said in order to ensure that the collected revenue reaches the main revenue Bank these institutions shall be made to deposit such revenues through revenue transit accounts at commercial banks.

Mr. Yamba said on February 29, this year government signed an agreement with Indo-Zambia Bank which seeks to improve revenue collection and accountability.

He said this agreement will enable the general public to pay for Zambia National Travel and Citizenship documents through dedicated counters at Indo-Zambia Bank and then proceed to the Passport and Citizenship office for processing of their documents.

He noted that this project will improve service delivery to the citizens and general public on the issuance of travel documents.

He further stated that this project will significantly contribute to the reduction in revenue related audit queries.

And Indo- Zambia Bank Managing Director Shankardas Gupta said his company has so far spent about K413 million in the setting up of network infrastructure with dedicated payment counters at the passports offices in Lusaka, Kabwe, Chipata, Livingstone and Ndola

Mr. Gupta said Indo- Zambia Bank has completed its training on internet banking for supervisors from the passport office.

He has however pledged the Banks adherence to all obligations as stipulated in the memorandum of understanding.

ZANIS

28 COMMENTS

  1. ZRA at Lusaka Main Post Office are thieves. We cant send packages to our loved ones anymore because we are getting ripped off by their unscrupulous employees who want kickbacks for our packages.

    They are evil and jealous, Check them.

  2. Attention everyone
    There is a pressing issue which calls for immediate attention.Mushota please, write something to me (BOOM) because I know you are bound to visit this site. You are pretty aware that I am not hounding you but simply reminding you that Nick if he really exists, he has an image of you as being compliant, subservient and powerless. Nick is simply in that relationship for economic reasons and yet he is weak. He controls you because he is pschologically deficient and that treatment towards you has ripple effects it is like a stone which you throw in the water, notice the endless waves it causes. Frankly speaking he is a user and that kind of behaviour is synonymous with men in the UK

  3. This is good provided red tape and unnecessary bottle necks in service delivery will be or has already been eradicated. Unnecessary beauracracy breeds corruption and as a result masses’s confidence in the system and its structures is diminished. Make sure that dishonesty will not be the norm if anything such as transparence is to be the foundation of trust and development. You must scrutinize officials serving the masses in that the end-users of these services are at the mess of these self-elements.

  4. Too much corruption at Passport Office. Government should make more money and expand intercity bus terminus and KK International Arport into regional hubs. Let’s see who is affected, Passport office, RTSA vehicle registration, PACRA company registration, Registrar of Societies, Immigration, ZRA and so on and so forth. But pa ma weigh bridge paliba corruption bad kind. However , replicate them and introduce toll gates.

  5. Long overdue. I was on duty passing thr Amboseli National park in Kenya and was pleasantly surprised that transit fee for me as a foreigner had to be paid by swiping using visa ATM card; meaning park wardens dont handle cash but issue receipts.  

  6. Do the same for traffic police. Let them issue tickets for traffic offences which should be paid in several ways: for impoundable offences, payment upon rectification of errors; for minor offenses, payments logged in system & done with RTSA upon renewal of road licence up to a certain amount.  If amounts in system exceed certain amount, you are dragged to a fast track court by RTSA thr court summons.  That way, more income for GRZ and less corruption

  7. Issuance of passports should be decentralized. Why should one travel to Ndola from Kitwe or Chingola to collect a passport in Ndola? If I am going to pay for my passport at Indo-Zambia Bank in Kitwe, why shouldn’t arrangements be made for me to collect the passport in Kitwe?

    • Decntralisation may lead to weaknesses that will allow foreigners to hold Zambian passports at a higher rate than occurs now

  8. Nothing new here.Its just the usual Bemba tradition of stealing from their customers and from govt coffers.Thieving is in the Bemba DNA.

  9. Yes long overdue. in developed nations, all payment at the immigration offices for visa’s or passports are done thru bank cands. check also on Lusaka airport post office and customs. most staff there are thieves who steal people’s parcels. they also open peopl’es letters. the letter and parcel handing in all post offices whould be monitored electronically.

  10. Reducing cash handling is ok but centralising the banking will be very very cumbersome. This is another of PF trial and error moves. This will create a lot of inefficeincies which the current approach was aimed at avoiding

  11. ZRA staff are professional people, anybody who feel agrieved can report them to their HQ. They can not temper with small parcels.

  12. long overdue indeed, atleast few audit queries will now be reported in the audited general report and we pray those found wanting should be brought to book coz we dont want another auditor general report to be another academic report exercise jst wasting taxpayers money………

  13. #18 This country is addicted to building roads rather than ICT infrastructure. This is because it is easy to steal from road contracts. Technology is above their intelligence. You would have a problem trying to convince them that it is more profitable to spend money on ICT than poorly constructed roads. Kenya and Tanzania have realised this. We will be left behind again.

    • Its not just that,even low tech businesses like supermarket chains or filling stations like kenol & shoprite are foreign companies bcoz its waay above the head of zambians.Sad that we only know how to invest in kantembas,subsistence farming and low tech stuff like rental houses

  14. @Mukame
    Imagine, Senegal, the west African country computerised its sea ports and there was an increase in customs revenue after computerisation by a whooping $1 Billion…think about it this is money the gov’t was losing year on year to corrupt customs officers before they computerised.  

  15. Great step!!!! but how much will be handling cost? Why not set up online payment system where you will have money direct into treasury account. Let us encourage our citizens to have access to ecommerce please. Innovation is the answer…

  16. At this age of time, finacial institutions are discouraging transacting in direct cash for various good reasons. Zambia needs to move together with the rest of the world. Swip cards is the way to go and the machines are simple to operate. I personally do not see the need for INDO to have a physical presence. The initiative should be extended to RTSA and other GRZ wings. Good move.

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