Story by Tichaona Kurewa
THE digitalisation of Zimbabwe’s revenue collection system is flourishing, in the wake of revelations that over 20 000 new taxpayers have been registered since December last year.
The digitalisation will plug loopholes in collection, improve efficiency and accountability, as well as curbing fraudulent activities.
The Tax and Revenue Management System (TaRMS), being funded by a grant from the African Development Bank and the government of Zimbabwe, is aligned with National Development Strategy One priorities which include the ease of doing business, widening the tax base, and enabling a digital economy.
ZIMRA Commissioner General, Ms Regina Chinamasa outlined the benefits accrued to date.
“I can attest that since its launch in December, we have managed to register an excess of 20 000 plus new taxpayers who are coming on board. Now, it’s a bit premature to assess in terms of revenues because people come on board, and you have your due dates, but we are monitoring incremental revenue that is coming through TaRMS.
“By the end of the first half, we should be able to assess the impact in terms of revenue contribution. We are happy that we are managing to register new taxpayers, and it’s providing a better user-friendly platform for taxpayers to then transact and make tax payments,” she said.
Among other benefits, TaRMS enables data sharing across government agencies and departments, including civil registry, company registrar, and deeds office.
The government is on a drive to modernise and digitise its systems in line with the vision to attain an upper-middle-income society by 2030.
