Thursday, March 28, 2024

ZRA records net revenue of over 39 billion Kwacha, captures 270,000 new TPINs

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ZRA Commissioner General Kingsley Chanda
ZRA Commissioner General Kingsley Chanda

Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) Commissioner General Kingsley Chanda says the revenue authority performed exceptionally well after it collected a net revenue of K39 billion for the period January to December 2017.

ZANIS reports that Mr. Chanda told Journalists in Lusaka that ZRA collected a total of K45.868 billion in gross revenues and refunded K6.718 billion to mines and other tax payers thereby recording a net revenue of K39.149 billion.

The ZRA Commissioner General stated that the 2017 collection exceeded the statutory annual budget target of K37.622 billion by K1.527 billion representing 16.8 per cent contribution to the gross domestic product.

Mr. Chanda however, dispelled public perceptions that the Zambia Revenue Authority is given easy revenue collection targets by government.

The ZRA Commissioner General said the targets are not set by the revenue body alone but by a select committee comprising representatives from the Ministry of Finance, Parliament and ZRA.

Mr. Chanda said the 2018 revenue target has been set at K44.667 billion, which is K7.054 billion higher than the 2017 target of K37.622 billion.

He said while, government has given ZRA a target of 16.2 per cent contribution to the country’s GDP for 2018, the authority has set its own internal target of 17 per cent

Mr. Chanda attributed ZRA’s imposing performance to increased collections from domestic Value Added Tax (VAT) emanating from strong implementation of the withholding VAT mechanism.

He said net domestic VAT collections grew from K96.52 million in 2016 to K5.630 billion in 2017 translating into a growth of 5,734 per cent.

He said the implementation of the tax amnesty in 2017 was revolutionary in Zambia’s tax administration history as it received positive response from tax payers.

Mr. Chanda said the amnesty programme and debt enforcement activities raked in K4.097 billion and that an additional K650 million is expected to be collected between January and June this year.

He disclosed that the authority handled 425 investigations in its quest to curb smuggling and concluded 94 cases which resulted in the collection of K27.2 million from assessments and penalties.

He further said the mobile Compliance Unit carried out enforcement operations and intelligence patrols resulting in 7, 380 interceptions with a value of K830 million.

The ZRA Commissioner General said it will continue to partner and work with other Revenue Authorities in the region to improve its operations and attain its targets.

Mr. Chanda said that to ensure tax payers declare correct taxes, ZRA conducted 10, 473 audits that yielded over K2.9 billion in taxes.

Meanwhile, Mr. Chanda has admitted that the prevailing cholera pandemic in the capital city is expected to affect revenue collections from the informal sector.

He however, announced that ZRA will engage tax agents to collect tax from the informal sector such as rental income and other taxes from taxis, marketeers among others.

Mr. Chanda further disclosed that ZRA is in discussions with the Zambia National Marketeers Credit Association (ZANAMACA) to create a data base of Marketeers for the purposes of tax collection which has been set at K1.00 per day.

And the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) says it registered 270, 000 new Tax Payers Identification Numbers (TPIN) in 2017.

ZRA Commissioner General Kingsley Chanda revealed this in Lusaka today, that the revenue authority captured 269,817 new TPINs compared to 17,717 that were registered in 2016.

Mr. Chanda said ZRA is pleased with the high compliance levels for TPIN registration and expressed optimism about increased registrations.

He said the authority achieved a 1,500 per cent increase in TPIN registrations in its efforts to enforce TPIN requirement on Bank accounts.

ZRA has set a deadline of March 31st this year for all bank account holders to obtain tax payer identification numbers.

15 COMMENTS

  1. Problem: It is not necessarily how much Tax you collect, but how well the money is spent???

    Prioritized Spending and Gainful Investment, I think is the main problem Zambia has – NOT Tax collection.

    ECL and PF are very very corrupt ruthless scumbags who will just share that money if not already squandered!

  2. I will keep all my Zambia based assets in Cryptocurrencies to keep it away from wasteful GRZ and not to be taxed by this corrupt ZRA goons.Tired of seeing things not changing despite lots of taxes paid.

  3. how do we know these figures are correct, mr mutati presented rubbery figures in budget.
    We know that IMF wants increased domestic taxes so all announcements are geared at satifying them.
    Do we really know that we had a bumper crop? The agriculture minister has a chequered history

  4. can the zra head advise us how he proposes to collect taxes from the pf cadres that control the bus stations and markets. Will he use the same cadres as tax collectors. How will u arrive at the amount of tax that the cadres will have to pay.
    We look forward to you being as open in your answer as you have been in providing the above figures

  5. diasporas why are you always on the negative side? You are been called people of color wherever you are in the foreign land and the only way out to easy the frustration is by airing negative sentiments towards Zambia.
    Let only people who are brave and strong enough pass their comments, you have shunned developing your only nation Zambia in preference of modern slavery in exchange with the peanut dollars.
    I have been in your shoes once so I can’t be on your side …… I know it’s frustration which is controlling you. Just come back and help in developing Zambia so that the next generation can find the better place to call home.
    I love Minister Brian Mushimba, who stopped work in USA and came back to offer his services in his home town Mufulira and the nation at large.
    We all know…

  6. The money that you collect is not used in good faith neither to develop the country but it goes to selfish politicians berry .

    Hence we have no confidence to pay tax .we will continual to smuggle .

  7. The observer, i think the diaspora has the opportunity to distance itself from the constant pro government press and media to the extent that those pipo can have a more balanced and objective view than those pipo whose objectivity can be swayed by constant pro government reports.
    Do you really believe that all the diaspora is negative, I believe it is trying to contribute to a better zambia by making those in zambia more aware of how a nation should be.
    The need for you to bring color or other perceptions of zambians abroad actually shows your lack intellect ir self respect.

  8. What is really happening to the approval of TPIN Number. The process is quite slow. Is it that the department In charge is under staffed or what? The so Called E-registration is not helping. What is really happening. Can some body educate me,how the approval process is done? It needs agent attention.

  9. Its true that ZRA is widening its tax net in the country. But this incessant publicity reaches saturation at some point. ZRA is not the only government institution which is working hard. Every institution has a different mandate.
    ZRA save us the torture you are inflicting on many ignorant Zambians. Too much publicity is in itself not good for your image. Everyday its ZRA this, ZRA that, ZRA guys are just too excited. Now ZRA is seen as that monster of government which is after every penny or ngwee a Zambian sweats for (e.g. income tax, bank accounts, mukula trees, death tax, with holding tax etc) in the name of government taxation. Calm down guys . Those profits and vehicles you are calling donations is some body’s sweat. Be modest in your work.

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